Traditional Sweets Made by Nuns

The Convent of Carboneras and its sweets

This convent, located between the iconic Puerta del Sol and the majestic Palacio Real, was built in the early 17th century. In that era, many convents and monasteries were founded by nobility and kings to prove their religious devotion and, of course, their power. This convent was founded by Beatriz Ramirez de Mendoza, one of the ladies of Queen Anne of Austria.

There is a centuries-old tradition of making confectioneries in Spanish convents. In fact, many traditional Spanish sweets have their roots in convents. A beautiful tradition influenced the activities of the nuns. In the past, brides in small villages would donate eggs to the convents so that it wouldn’t rain on their wedding day. This caused the nuns to have an enormous quantity of eggs, and they started to make sweets to make the most of them. In any case, they say that the secret of these sweets is in the nuns’ love and care.

In the 19th century, the nuns began to sell their sweets as a way to be self-sufficient and obtain the necessary resources to preserve the building. And the most incredible part is that today, right in Madrid’s city center, you can buy these sweets, handmade by nuns.

On our Madrid Free Walking Tour, we’ll visit this convent and you’ll have a chance to see how the nuns in this convent live. You might not be able to resist, and end up buying some sweets! 😉

Useful Information: 

-Address: Convento de las Carboneras del Corpus Christi, 28005 Madrid

-Price: Apprx 10€ per box