Every 27th of July, at the Real Monasterio de la Encarnación, something happens that has been repeating itself for four centuries now: a substance kept in a small glass ampoule —tradition holds it to be the blood of Saint Pantaleon— turns from solid to liquid. Some call it a miracle. Others, just as convinced, call it superstition dressed up as ritual.
Madrid Trivia
And Madrid has more secrets than meets the eye. Historical curiosities, legends, forgotten anecdotes, and details that go unnoticed even though we see them every day. Here, we unearth them
A Habsburg Procession in Twenty-First Century Madrid
In the very heart of Madrid, steps away from the bustle of streets thronged with visitors to the shops and shopping centres that fill this part of the city, the sturdy facades of an old monastery stand out in sharp relief. Built in the Toledan style, with flint rubblework between brick string courses, these walls rise like an impenetrable fortress, seeming to shield from the daily commotion of a contemporary, consumerist and cosmopolitan city the rich world of contemplation, spirituality and sublime art that governs the lives of the Poor Clare nuns who dwell within. This is the Monastery of las Descalzas Reales.
The Oldest Door in Madrid
At the start of the Calle del Codo, in the heart of the Austrias neighbourhood and adjoining the Plaza de la Villa, stands the doorway of the Torre de los Lujanes. Framed by a horseshoe arch with stone voussoirs that still bear clearly visible stonemason’s marks, this doorway has traditionally been held to be the oldest in Madrid. Now, a study commissioned by the Real Sociedad Económica Matritense de Amigos del País has made it possible to establish the truth of that claim.