- Address: Plaza de Oriente, Madrid (Bailen Street)
- Sightseeing: Royal Palace, Royal Theater, Encarnación Monastery, Almudena Cathedral
Plaza de Oriente , or the East Square , got its name for geographical reasons - it is located to the east of the Royal Palace . The construction began at the time of the French rule on the orders of Joseph Bonaparte, as the King of Spain, named Joseph I Napoleon. However, with him, the area was not completed, and the construction continued already under Isabella II. The area turned out to be small, and a number of neighboring houses had to be demolished to expand it.
The eastern square is remarkable for the fact that you can hardly find cars here, and therefore it is a favorite place for walking both of Madrid and the guests of the city.
Royal Palace
The construction of the Royal Palace was started during the reign of Philip V; the idea of inviting the famous Italian architect Filippo Juarru had originated with his wife, Isabella Farnese, but the famous Italian died without bringing his child to completion. The construction was commissioned by Giovanni Batista Sacchetti and ended in 1764, already during the reign of Carlos III. The latter also settled in the palace after the completion of the construction, despite the fact that the interior decoration of the palace was not over (and lasted for quite a long time).
The building is designed in the Italian baroque style, it has a rectangular shape. In the center is the inner courtyard. Granite and limestone were used for the construction. Until the 90s of the last century, the square and the palace were divided by Bailen Street, and only after the redevelopment and repair of the street the square "moved" closer to the palace.
Today, the Royal Palace is also used as the official residence of the royal family.
The Royal Theater
To the square, the Royal Opera House (Teatro Real) stands a small facade.
Monastery of Encarnación
Another building overlooking the square is the Encarnación Monastery , founded in 1611 during the reign of Philip III at the initiative of his wife Margarita of Austria. The monastery is still active, but you can visit it and admire the richest collection of art objects collected over the long years of its existence.
Almudena Cathedral
The cathedral is on the south-west side of the square. Its full name is the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary Almudena , and it is named after the statue of the Virgin Mary, which according to legend was brought by the apostle Jacob in the first century, was hidden by Christians during the Moorish times, and much later, when Christians regained dominion over these territories, during the solemn prayer service "she showed herself to the people" - from the wall in which she was hidden, suddenly a few stones fell and the statue became visible. Maria Almudena is considered the patroness of Madrid . The construction of the cathedral began in 1833 and lasted almost a century and a half - only in 1992 it was finally consecrated by Pope John Paul II. In 2004, the wedding of Prince Felipe and his bride Leticia Ortiz took place in its walls.
Statue of Felipe IV and other monarchs
The statue of King Phillip IV, or Felipe IV, was created by the sculptor Pietro Tacca in a portrait written by Velazquez (in Madrid also there is the Velasquez palace , which was built exactly according to the plan of that most famous artist and architect); put his hand to create the statue and Gallileo Gallilee - he calculated the center of gravity of the sculpture, because this is the first statue in the world where the horse rests only on the hind legs. The monument was completed in 1641, and on the square it was established already by the order of Isabella II.
King Philip is in the square not alone - among the greenery of the square, a square fringing the monument to Philip IV, there are statues of twenty other monarchs of Spain, or rather those states that existed on the Iberian peninsula before the creation of a single kingdom. The statues are made of limestone during the reign of King Ferdinand VI. Initially it was planned that they would decorate the eaves of the palace, but for some reason the decision was changed and they found a permanent residence among the trees on the Plaza de Oriente. The square itself acquired a modern look only in 1941 - before that it was larger and less orderly.
How to get to Plaza de Oriente?
To get to the square, you can rent a car or use public transport : the metro (Opera station) or bus number 25 or number 29 (get off at the San Quintin stop).
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