Royal Palace of Madrid

About

The Royal Palace of Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used primarily for state ceremonies. With over 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and 3,418 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest palace in Western Europe, the largest royal palace in Europe, and among the largest palaces in the world.

The palace is located on Bailén Street in the western part of central Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from Ópera metro station. The former Alcázar of Madrid, built on the site of a bygone Muslim-era fortress dating to the 9th century, served both as a secure repository for the royal treasure and as a habitual residence of the Trastámara monarchs in the late Middle Ages. After undergoing substantial expansion works during the 16th century, the Royal Alcázar remained on the site until it burned down on 24 December 1734. A new, larger and more sumptuous palace was then built from scratch on the same site for the Bourbon dynasty. Construction took place between 1738 and 1755, and followed a Berniniesque design by Filippo Juvarra and Giovanni Battista Marchetti, in cooperation with Ventura Rodríguez...

See also: Royal Alcázar of Madrid and Project of Filippo Juvarra for the Royal Palace of Madrid

The palace was initially built by Muhammad I, Umayyad Emir of Cordoba, between 860 and 880. After the Moors were driven out of Toledo in the 11th century, the castle retained its defensive function. Henry III of Castile added several towers. His son John II used it as a royal residence. During the War of the Castilian Succession (1476) the troops of Joanna la Beltraneja were besieged in the alcázar, during which the building suffered severe damage.

The only drawing of the castle from the Middle Ages is one from 1534 by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen.

Emperor Charles V, with the architects Alonso de Covarrubias and Luis de Vega, extended and renovated the castle in 1537. Philip II made Madrid his capital in 1561 and continued the renovations, with new additions. Philip III and Philip IV added a long southern façade between 1610 and 1636.

Philip V of Bourbon renovated the royal apartments in 1700. The alcázar of the Habsburgs was austere in comparison to the Palace of Versailles where the new king had spent his childhood; and he began a series of redesigns mainly planned by Teodoro Ardemans and René Carlier, with the main rooms being redecorated by Queen Maria Luisa of Savoy and the Princess of Ursins in the style of French palaces.

On Christmas Eve 1734, the alcázar was destroyed by a fire that originated in the rooms of the French painter Jean Ranc. Response to the fire was delayed due to the warning bells being confused with the call to mass. For fear of looting, the doors of the building remained closed, hampering rescue efforts. Some works of art were lost, including the Expulsion of the Moors by Diego Velázquez. Others, such as Las Meninas, were rescued by tossing them out the windows. Fortunately, many pieces were saved because shortly before the blaze the King ordered that much of his collection be moved to the Buen Retiro Palace. The fire lasted for four days and completely destroyed the old alcázar, whose remaining walls were finally demolished in 1738.

Philip V commissioned the construction of a new palace. For its reconstruction, Italian architect Filippo Juvarra oversaw work on the new palace and devised a lavish project inspired by Bernini's plans for the Louvre in Paris. Initially Juvarra wanted to build the palace in another location, however, the idea was discarded. His disciple Giambattista Sacchetti, also known as Juan Bautista Sachetti [ es ] or Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, was chosen to continue the work of his mentor. Sacchetti designed the structure to encompass a large square courtyard and resolved sightline problems by creating projecting wings.

In 1760, Charles III called upon Sicilian Francesco Sabatini, a Neoclassical architect, to enlarge the building. Sabatini's original idea was to frame the Plaza de la Armería with a series of galleries and arcades, to accommodate various dependencies, [ clarification needed ] by constructing two wings along the square. Only the extension of the southeast tower known as la de San Gil was completed. Sabatini also planned to extend the north side with a large wing that echoed the style of the main building and included three square courtyards that would be smaller than the large central courtyard. Work on this expansion started quickly but was soon interrupted, leaving the foundations buried under a platform on which the royal stables were later built. The stables were demolished in the 20th century and replaced by the Sabatini Gardens. Charles III first occupied the palace in 1764.

In the 19th century, Ferdinand VII, who spent many years imprisoned in the Château de Valençay, began the most thorough renovation of the palace. The aim of this redesign was to turn the old-fashioned Italian-style building into a modern French-style palace. However, his grandson Alfonso XII proposed to turn the palace into a Victorian-style residence. Alfonso's plans were designed by the architect José Segundo de Lema and consisted of remodeling several rooms, replacing marble floors with parquet, and adding period furniture.

In the twentieth century, restoration work was needed to repair damage suffered during the Spanish Civil War, by repairing or reinstalling decoration and decorative trim and replacing damaged walls with faithful reproductions of the originals.

The wedding banquet of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz took place on 22 May 2004 in the central courtyard of the palace. [ citation needed ]

The palace is owned by the Spanish state and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional (English: National Heritage), a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. It is now open to the public, except during state functions, although it is so large that only a selection of rooms are on the visitor route at any one time, the route being changed every few months. An admission fee is charged; however, at some times it is free. [ citation needed ]

The palace was initially built by Muhammad I, Umayyad Emir of Cordoba, between 860 and 880. After the Moors were driven out of Toledo in the 11th century, the castle retained its defensive function. Henry III of Castile added several towers. His son John II used it as a royal residence. During the War of the Castilian Succession (1476) the troops of Joanna la Beltraneja were besieged in the alcázar, during which the building suffered severe damage.

The only drawing of the castle from the Middle Ages is one from 1534 by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen.

Emperor Charles V, with the architects Alonso de Covarrubias and Luis de Vega, extended and renovated the castle in 1537. Philip II made Madrid his capital in 1561 and continued the renovations, with new additions. Philip III and Philip IV added a long southern façade between 1610 and 1636.

Philip V of Bourbon renovated the royal apartments in 1700. The alcázar of the Habsburgs was austere in comparison to the Palace of Versailles where the new king had spent his childhood; and he began a series of redesigns mainly planned by Teodoro Ardemans and René Carlier, with the main rooms being redecorated by Queen Maria Luisa of Savoy and the Princess of Ursins in the style of French palaces.

On Christmas Eve 1734, the alcázar was destroyed by a fire that originated in the rooms of the French painter Jean Ranc. Response to the fire was delayed due to the warning bells being confused with the call to mass. For fear of looting, the doors of the building remained closed, hampering rescue efforts. Some works of art were lost, including the Expulsion of the Moors by Diego Velázquez. Others, such as Las Meninas, were rescued by tossing them out the windows. Fortunately, many pieces were saved because shortly before the blaze the King ordered that much of his collection be moved to the Buen Retiro Palace. The fire lasted for four days and completely destroyed the old alcázar, whose remaining walls were finally demolished in 1738.

Philip V commissioned the construction of a new palace. For its reconstruction, Italian architect Filippo Juvarra oversaw work on the new palace and devised a lavish project inspired by Bernini's plans for the Louvre in Paris. Initially Juvarra wanted to build the palace in another location, however, the idea was discarded. His disciple Giambattista Sacchetti, also known as Juan Bautista Sachetti [ es ] or Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, was chosen to continue the work of his mentor. Sacchetti designed the structure to encompass a large square courtyard and resolved sightline problems by creating projecting wings.