Patrimonio Nacional ( en, National Heritage) is a Spanish autonomous agency, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Presidency, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish State and used by the Monarch and the Spanish Royal Family as residences and for State Ceremonies. The Patrimonio Nacional includes palaces,

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s, monasteries and

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

s, called the Royal sites. When not in official use, the Royal sites are open to the public. It also manages the official and holiday residences of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

. The agency was first created in 1865 during the reign of

Isabella II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...

under the name of ''Patrimonio de la Corona'' ( en, Heritage of the Crown. During the reign of her grandson, Alfonso XIII, it was also known as ''Patrimonio Real'' ( en, Royal Heritage). The second republic (1931–1939) kept the agency under the name of ''Patrimonio de la República'' en, Heritage of the Republic and in 1940, dictator Francisco Franco renamed it to ''Patrimonio National'', the current name. Patrimonio Nacional organizes temporary exhibitions and concerts in the Royal sites. It also publishes catalogues of the Royal Collections, books on the Royal sites, facsimiles of some of the books held in the library of El Escorial and the Royal Library, visitors guides to the different sites as well as the official photographs of the King of Spain. It also publishes a quarterly magazine, ''Reales Sitios'', about the art collections and cultural history of the Royal sites. The Royal Family has other palaces but these are not controlled by Patrimonio Nacional.

Royal Places

Royal Palaces

* Royal Palace of Madrid (

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

). * '' Casita del Príncipe or Casita de Abajo'' ( El Escorial) * '' Casita del Príncipe'' ( El Pardo) * '' Casita del Infante'' ( San Lorenzo de El Escorial). * Royal Palace of Zarzuela (Madrid) * Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (San Lorenzo de El Escorial). *

Royal Palace of Aranjuez The Royal Palace of Aranjuez ( es, Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family. It is located in the town of Aranjuez (Madrid), Spain. Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, the pala ...

and his royal gardens and buildings (

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...

). * '' Casa del Labrador'' (Aranjuez). * Royal Palace of El Pardo (Madrid). * Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso and all the royal buildings attached. (

Real Sitio de San Ildefonso San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mou ...

). *

Royal Palace of Riofrío The Royal Palace of Riofrío ( es, Palacio Real de Riofrío, ) is one of the residences of Spanish royal family. It is under the management of '' Patrimonio Nacional'', a government agency dedicated to the care and maintenance of properties owned ...

(Real Sitio de San Ildefonso). * Royal Palace of La Almudaina (

Palma Palma or La Palma means palm in a number of languages and may also refer to: Geography Africa * Palma, Mozambique, city ** Palma District * La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, Spain ** La Palma (DO), a ''Denominación de Origen'' for wines from ...

). * '' Residencia Real de La Mareta'' ( Teguise).

Royal convents and monasteries

* Royal Convent of Las Descalzas Reales (Madrid). * Monastery of Yuste ( Cuacos de Yuste). * Royal Monastery of the Incarnation (Madrid). * Royal Monastery of Santa Isabel (Madrid). * Royal Convent of Santa Clara ( Tordesillas). *

Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

(

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...

). * Royal Convent of San Pascual (Aranjuez). * '' Colegio de Doncellas Nobles'' ( Toledo). * Benedictine Abbey of Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (San Lorenzo de El Escorial). *

Pantheon of Illustrious Men The Pantheon of Illustrious Men ( es, Panteón de Hombres Ilustres) is a royal site in Madrid, under the administration of the Patrimonio Nacional. It was designed by Spanish architect Fernando Arbós y Tremanti, and is located in Basilica of N ...

(Madrid)

Residences of the Prime Minister

* Palace of Moncloa (Madrid) * Palace of Las Marismillas ( Almonte) * '' Coto Nacional de los Quintos de Mora'' ( Los Yébenes)

Museum

In addition to the exhibitions that ''Patrimonio Nacional'' carries out in the different Royal Sites, the agency will open a museum in 2023, the

Royal Collections Gallery The Royal Collections Gallery, originally named Royal Collections Museum () is an art museum in Madrid yet to be opened. Dependent on Patrimonio Nacional, it is located in a new building in the gardens of the Campo del Moro, Campo del Moro park nex ...

, destined to exhibit the heritage accumulated by the Spanish Monarchy for centuries.

The Board

The National Heritage is managed by the Board of Directors of the agency which, according to Act 23/1982, is composed by a Chairperson and a Manager appointed by the Monarch, with the advice of the

; and thirteen members of renowned reputation, including two city councilors of towns where properties of Patrimonio Nacional are located (currently the cities of

and

) and two members from museums and cultural institutions of recognized prestige and international projection.

Structure

The agency is structured through a central and a decentralized one: The central structure is integrated by: * The Administration and Resources Directorate. * The Royal Collections Directorate. * The Real Estate and Natural Environment Directorate. * The Official and Cultural Events Directorate. The territorial or decentralized structure is integrated by the Board' delegations in palaces, monasteries and other properties and organizations.

References

External links

Official webpage
{{Authority control Spanish monarchy Government agencies of Spain 1865 establishments in Spain