The Royal Palace of Madrid

A visit to the Royal Palace in Madrid was definitely on the wishlist of the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog. Finally in March 2022 a dream came true.  The Royal Palace in Madrid didn't disappoint me, on contrary, due to its splendid rooms full of royal history.

History

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.

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 facade between 1610 and 1636.

Charles V

Source picture: Wikipedia

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.

Philip V of Spain

Source picture: Wikipedia

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. Many works of art were lost, such as the Expulsion of the Moors, by Diego Velázquez. This fire lasted four days and completely destroyed the old Alcázar, whose remaining walls were finally demolished in 1738.

Italian architect Filippo Juvarra oversaw work on the new palace and devised a lavish project of enormous proportions inspired by Bernini's plans for the Louvre. This plan was not realized, due to Juvarra's untimely death in March 1736. 

His disciple Giambattista 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. 

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.

Alfonso XII of Spain

Source picture: Wikipedia

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 main facade of the Palace, the one facing the Plaza de la Armeria,  consists of a two-story rusticated stone base, from which rise Ionic columns on Tuscan pilasters framing the windows of the three main floors. The upper story is hidden behind a cornice which encircles the building and is capped with a large balustrade. This was adorned with a series of statues of saints and kings, but these were relocated elsewhere under the reign of Charles III to give the building a more classical appearance. The restoration of the facade in 1973, which includes Sabitini's balcony of four Doric columns, returned some of Sachetti's sculptures. 

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies.  

The palace has 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. 

👉 It is the largest functioning royal palace and the largest by floor area in Europe.

The palace 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.

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

Notes from the author

Although it is a magnificent royal palace, with a wonderful history it was a little strange for me to see tapestries of Brussels in Madrid. 

This was a tangible thing that the Habsburgs once ruled in Belgium (then the Southern Netherlands).

👉 Interested in the Spanish Royal History? Check the page The royal history of Spain on top of this blog or on this link. 

Interested in more (royal) palaces in Madrid? Check the post about the Palacio de Zurbano - The Birth Place of Queen Fabiola of Belgium on this link. 

Pictures of the Royal Palace of Madrid, taken in 2022