The Royal Palace of El Pardo (, ) is one of the official residences of the

Spanish royal family The Spanish royal family constitutes the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon (), also known as the House of Bourbon-Anjou (). The royal family is headed by King Felipe VI and currently consists of the King; Queen Letizia; their children, Leono ...

and one of the oldest, being used by the Spanish monarchs since

Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bor ...

in the 15th century. The palace is owned by the Spanish government, administered by a state agency named Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage) and it currently serves as a state guest house.

Overview

The palace began as a royal hunting lodge on the hill of El Pardo. It became an alternative residence of the kings of Spain until the reign of King

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

, who died in the palace in 1885. King

ordered the building of a small castle in 1406, on Mount El Pardo, because of its abundant game. In the 1540s, on the orders of

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, it was transformed into a palace by the architect Luis de Vega, who built a small, traditional ''

alcázar An ''alcázar'', from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in Spain built during Al-Andalus, Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for governmental figures throughout ...

'' with a moat. The palace was completed by Philip II, who introduced Flemish-style slate roofs."Royal Palace of El Pardo", Patrimonio Nacional
/ref> On 13 March 1604, a massive fire destroyed many of the paintings the palace housed, including masterpieces by

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

. Phillip III entrusted the rebuilding of the palace to Francisco de Mora."El Pardo Royal Palace", Turismo Madrid
/ref> Philip continued his father's decorative ideas, commissioning a number of frescoes. Philip V lived there for three months a year during the winter, and altered the palace to accommodate the court. King

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

renovated the building in the 18th century, appointing his architect Francesco Sabatini to undertake the job and add additional courtyards. The interior decoration includes a ceiling

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

ed by Gaspar Becerra, and paintings by Vincenzo Carducci and Cabrera. In 1739, the palace hosted talks between the governments of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and Spain, who eventually agreed to the Convention of Pardo in a bid to avert a war. However, the Convention failed to prevent the

War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought by Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and History of Spain (1700–1808), Spain between 1739 and 1748. The majority of the fighting took place in Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada and the Caribbean ...

from breaking out shortly afterwards. Dictator

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

commandeered the palace as his residence after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and lived there until his death.

Access

Since 1983, the building has been used as a residence for visiting

heads of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

. When not in use by guests, it is open to the public. Objects on display include tapestries made by the Royal Factory of Santa Bárbara in Madrid.

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

was one of the artists who designed tapestries for the palace with dimensions corresponding to specific locations in the building.

References

External links

Royal Palace of El Pardo on Patrimonio Nacional website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Palace Of El Pardo Houses completed in the 15th century Palaces in Madrid Royal residences in Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid Buildings and structures in Fuencarral-El Pardo District, Madrid Francisco Franco El Pardo State guesthouses

Overview

Access

See also

References

External links