Monasterio de la Encarnacion

The Royal Incarnation Monastery was built in the 17th century by Queen Margaret, wife of Philip III. Because royal women once lived here as nuns, it has paintings and sculptures presented by successive kings. The more precious collection of relics in the monastery is the blood of St. Pantaleon. It is a quaint and magnificent building, mainly designed and built by architect Francisco (Franciscode Mora) and priest Alberto (Albert de la Madre de Dios) between 1611 and 1616. At the beginning of its construction, it only existed as a private place for the royal family, and then it was included in the National Heritage List and opened to the public in 1965. Now the monastery exists as a museum. Every year on July 27, the holy relic of the church, the blood of St. Panda Leon, will slowly melt from a solid state, and thousands of believers and tourists will come here to watch this annual "miracle". The monastery is very close to the Royal Palace of Madrid, and the two buildings are connected by the Plaza de Oriente. The foyer, cloister and courtyard of the monastery have many painting collections by well-known painters such as Ribera, Miranda, Peleda, etc. In addition, the sculpture collection of George Fernandez's crucifix has high artistic value.