Real Monasterio de la Encarnación
Royal convent chapel with a blood relic said to liquefy in July, among Europe's largest reliquaries.
Location
About this audio guide
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.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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