The Palace of Spain ( it, Palazzo di Spagna) or Monaldeschi Palace is a baroque palace that houses the Embassy of

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 ...

to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

since 1647. It does not lodge, on the other hand, the Embassy of Spain in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, since this one is in the first floor of the

Borghese Palace Palazzo Borghese is a palace in Rome, Italy, the main seat of the Borghese family. It was nicknamed ''il Cembalo'' ("the harpsichord") due to its unusual trapezoidal groundplan; its narrowest facade faces the River Tiber. The entrance at the oppo ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Origins

The Embassy of Spain to the

is the oldest embassy in the world. It was created in 1480 by King Ferdinand the Catholic, its first being ambassador Gonzalo de Beteta, knight of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

. Among the political results of this diplomatic activity are the papal support for the Reconquest of Granada, the sharing of the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

between

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

through the " Bull Inter Caetera" in 1493 (see Treaty of Tordesillas), the Holy League for the fight against the Turk culminating in the victory of Lepanto in 1571, among others.

Monaldeschi Palace: headquarters of the Embassy of Spain

Spanish embassy to the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

The Spanish ambassadors had rented the Monaldeschi Palace for more than a decade. In 1647, the new ambassador,

Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, 8th Count of Oñate Íñigo Vélez de Guevara (1597–1658), 8th Count of Oñat was a Spanish political figure. Biography He was the son of Íñigo Vélez de Guevara and Catalina Vélez, 5th Countess of Oñate. His younger brother was Beltrán, Viceroy of Sard ...

, made an offer for the palace, owned by the Monaldeschi family, an old Roman noble family, through an Italian agent, Bernardino Barber, and later obtained the permission of purchase of the Congregation of Barons of the

Pontifical State The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from ...

, that had the power to approve the sale of important palaces. Barber bought it for 22,000

Roman scudo The Roman scudo (plural: ''scudi romani'') was the currency of the Papal States until 1866. It was subdivided into 100 baiocchi ( singular: ''baiocco''), each of 5 quattrini ( singular: ''quattrino''). Other denominations included the ''grosso'' ...

s and was immediately transferred to the Count of Oñate. Soon after, four other houses next to the palace were bought to expand the building. In 1654, the palace was acquired by the Spanish crown as a permanent residence for ambassadors.Deupi, Victor. ''Architectural Temperance: Spain and Rome, 1700–1759'', Routledge, 2015
/ref> King Philip IV sent 19,000

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained ...

for maintenance and repair. P1260926 ambulanti a piazza di spagna

Located in the famous

Piazza di Spagna Piazza di Spagna ("Spanish Square"), at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome, Italy. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. There is also the famed Colum ...

(Spain's Square), in the historic center of

, a square that in fact takes its name from the palace. The area of land occupied by the palace is 3589 m² (38 632 sq ft) with 11 000 m² (118 403 sq ft) of construction between plants and terraces that constitute one of the most beautiful and rich architectural works of the time. Borromini designed the palace extension and traced the main staircase of the embassy and the lobby. The architect Antonio Del Grande (1625–1671) was the one who continued with the works. Between 1827 and 1834 Neoclassical and Pompeian decorations were introduced and a small wooden theater where

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early life Alfieri was ...

premiered his ''Antigone'' on November 20, 1782, disappeared from the ballroom. During the 17th and 18th centuries the palace was the center of a lavish and lively world of festivities that also animated the

, the scene of the most brilliant events of its time, public spectacles sponsored by the Spanish ambassador. The embassy houses a collection of

gobelin Gobelin was the name of a family of dyers, who in all probability came originally from Reims, France, and who in the middle of the 15th century established themselves in the Faubourg Saint Marcel, Paris, on the banks of the Bièvre. The firs ...

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

of the 17th century that belonged to the Bourbon-Orleans family from the Galliera Palace in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, with Roman and biblical motifs. The walls of the formal dining room are adorned with three splendid woolen and silk tapestries from the 18th century, originating from the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de 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 of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

, representing scenes from the life of

Telemachus Telemachus ( ; grc, Τηλέμαχος, Tēlemakhos, lit=far-fighter), in Greek mythology, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who is a central character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in s ...

, according to cartons drawn by Rubens. The halls have the presence of paintings of the

Prado Museum The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

of illustrious authors such as

Federico Madrazo Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (9 February 181510 June 1894) was a Spanish painter. Biography Born in Rome, he was the son of José de Madrazo y Agudo, the painter and former Director of the Prado Museum. Federico's grandfather on his mother side ...

, Vicente López,

Nattier Jean-Marc Nattier (17 March 1685 – 7 November 1766) was a French painter. He was born in Paris, the second son of Marc Nattier (1642–1705), a portrait painter, and of Marie Courtois (1655–1703), a miniaturist. He is noted for h ...

Mengs Anton Raphael Mengs (22 March 1728 – 29 June 1779) was a German painter, active in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, who while painting in the Rococo period of the mid-18th century became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting, which replace ...

, Mario Nuzzi, among others. Among the sculptures stand out two busts by

Gianlorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

of 1619, '' El alma beata'' and '' El alma condenada''. On September 8, 1857, Pope Pius IX inaugurated the Column of the Immaculate Conception that presides over the

in memory of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate of which

was a tenacious defender for centuries.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Coord missing, Italy Palaces in Rome Diplomatic missions in Rome Diplomatic missions of Spain Holy See–Spain relations Diplomatic missions to the Holy See