Patrimonio Nacional Opens New Visitor Center at Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

Patrimonio Nacional has inaugurated a new visitor reception center at the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, funded by the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia with an investment of nearly €385,000. The project improves access to the monument, which receives about 40,000 visitors annually. Renovations include a complete overhaul of the entrance hall with new layout, lighting, furniture, and facilities to enhance architectural readability and visitor flow. The Plateresque portal was cleaned and consolidated, and historic doors were restored. Concurrently, three previously closed chapels—Capilla de la Dormición, Casa de Nazaret, and Capilla del Milagro—are being restored and will open for special visits, expanding the tour route. The restoration, started in 2022 and expected to finish this year, is supported by the Fundación Ramón Areces. The Capilla de la Dormición features a mural of La Asunción de la Virgen by Luca Giordano; three polychrome apostle sculptures from this chapel are currently exhibited at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales. The Casa de Nazaret, one of the oldest spaces, reproduces the Santa Casa de Loreto with Renaissance murals and a polychrome frieze from 1678. The Capilla del Milagro, built in 1678, houses the icon of the Virgen del Milagro and has murals attributed to Rizi and Mantuano.