The Colegio Santa María del Pilar, known also as Colegio Santa María, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

private primary, middle and high

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

founded by the Society of Mary in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The school campus is one of the largest in central Madrid and its

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

, built in the 1950s, is one of the finest examples of early Spanish moderne brick vaults.

Overview

The school was founded in 1953, as an extension of the existing Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar. The principal of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar School was also principal of the newly created school, which was called “Nuestra Señora del Pilar-B". In 1600 ROZ changed its name to Santa Maria del Pilar and inaugurated the current facilities. In December 2008 the School was granted permission to build a new sports centre with swimming pool and a new gym. The school is often ranked as one of the best schools of Spain and has a long list of distinguished former pupils. Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (eldest son of the

Infanta Elena of Spain Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia; born 20 December 1963) is the first child and eldest daughter of Juan Carlos I (King of Spain from 1975 to 2014) and Queen Sofía of Spain, and third ...

) has recently been banned from this school because of his attitude.

Academics

The school offers all levels from kindergarten to pre-university courses. The school's students are among the students who perform best at the university aptitude tests. It is also ranked among the best schools in Spain according to different yearly publications in the field.

Facilities

The school main campus occupies a large plot in the centre of Madrid, near Buen Retiro Park. Each year-class occupies a pavilion, connected by canopies. The school also has a contemporary listed chapel, a junior library, a nursery, playgrounds, junior gym, an administration building, and a large main building that contains the school's religious community residence, science laboratories, a canteen, senior library, and art studios. In the northernmost area of the campus there is a sports complex with indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, paddle tennis courts, football field, basketball courts, and hockey fields.

Some distinguished former pupils

Silvia Abascal Silvia Abascal Estrada (born 20 March 1979) is a Spanish film, television and stage actress. She landed a breakthrough role in 1995 sitcom '' Pepa y Pepe'' which advanced her career. She has since featured in films such as ''The Yellow Fountain' ...

(actress). * Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (Royal family of Spain) * Rafael del Pino (business magnate, philanthropist) *

Antonio Resines Antonio Fernández Resines (born 7 August 1954) professionally known as Antonio Resines, is a Spanish film and television actor known for his performance in comedy films and series. Biography He was born 'by accident' on 7 August 1954 in Tor ...

(actor) *

Diego López Garrido Diego López Garrido (born 8 September 1947) is a Spanish politician, university professor and Secretary of State for the European Union in the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, He was also Minister of the Spanish government. B ...

(socialist politician) * Borja Pérez (Spanish footballer) * Luis de Guindos (Spanish minister of Economy) *

José Ignacio Wert José Ignacio Wert Ortega (born 18 February 1950, in Madrid) is a Spanish politician. On 22 December 2011 he was appointed Minister of Education, Culture and Sports by the president of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy. He resigned on 25 Ju ...

(Spanish former minister of Education) * Leopoldo González-Echenique (former-president of the Public Television of Spain)

References

External links

Santa Maria del Pilar's official websiteScout Group of the School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colegio Santa Maria del Pilar Schools in Madrid Educational institutions established in 1953 Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid 1953 establishments in Spain