Monastery of the Incarnation

Photograph

El Real Monasterio de la Encarnación was founded by Margaret of Austria and Philip III in 1611 and rebuilt after a disastrous fire by Ventura Rodriguez in 1767.Iit's inhabited by Augustine Recoletos nuns who remain out of sight in their cloisters during visiting hours. The facade is a fine example of post-Herreran style and inside there's an impressive selection of polychrome sculptures and paintings, highlighted by Ribera's superb portrait of John the Baptist. Most extraordinary of its many salons is the Reliquario (relics room), where the solidified blood of Saint Pantaleon, permanently kept in a glass orb, supposedly liquefies for 24 hours every year beginning at midnight on July 27 (the eve of his saint's day).

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