Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

"In the mid-16th century, aristocratic women -- either disappointed in love or "wanting to be the bride of Christ" -- stole away to this convent to take the veil." Full review

"The grim, prisonlike walls of this one-time palace keep modern Madrid at bay and offer no hint that behind the sober plateresque facade lies a sumptuous stronghold of the faith." Full review

"This collection of fantastic, if occasionally brutally themed, religious art, including pieces by Peter Paul Rubens, is in an appropriately creaky and forbidding 16th-century working convent." Full review

"Home to a remarkable museum of religious art... also includes numerous canvases by Zurbarán, Bruegel the Elder." Full review