Real Monasterio de la Encarnación

This guide to the Real Monasterio de la Encarnación in Madrid follows the convent Queen Margaret of Austria founded in 1611, complete with a secret passage to the Royal Palace so she could pray without ever stepping onto a public street. It traces how her collection of relics grew toward a thousand pieces, among the largest such hoards in Europe, including a vial of Saint Pantaleon's blood sent from Naples and examined by the Spanish Inquisition in the 1720s. Best visited in late July, when a line still forms outside the same reliquary.