The Royal Palace of El Pardo ( es, Palacio Real de El Pardo, ) is one of the official residences of the

Spanish royal family The Spanish royal family consists of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, their children (Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain), and Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace ...

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

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. ...

. It is administered by the ''

Patrimonio Nacional 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 F ...

'' agency and it currently serves as a state guest house.

Overview

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

King Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

, who died in the palace in 1885. King Enrique III of Castile ordered the building of the pavilion in 1406, on Mount El Pardo, because of its abundant game. Later, in the time of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

Charles V (1547), it was transformed into a palace by the architect Luis de Vega. On 13 March 1604, a massive fire destroyed many of the paintings it housed, including masterpieces by

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

. King Carlos III of Spain renovated the building in the 18th century, appointing his architect

Francesco Sabatini Francesco Sabatini (1721 – 19 February 1797), also known as Francisco Sabatini, was an Italian architect of the 18th century who worked in Spain. Biography Born in Palermo, he studied architecture in Rome. His first contacts with the Spa ...

to undertake the job. The interior decoration includes a ceiling

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' 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 plast ...

ed by

Gaspar Becerra Gaspar Becerra (1520–1568) was a Spanish painter and sculptor of the School of Valladolid. Biography He was born at Baeza in the Province of Jaén. He went to Rome in 1545, and studied with Giorgio Vasari, whom he assisted in painting the ha ...

, and paintings by Vincenzo Carducci and Cabrera. In 1739 the palace hosted talks between the governments of Britain and Spain, who eventually agreed to the

Convention of Pardo The Convention of Pardo, also known as the Treaty of Pardo or Convention of El Pardo, was a 1739 agreement between Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain and Enlightenment in Spain, Spain. It sought to resolve trade issues between the two countries an ...

in a bid to avert a war. However, the Convention failed to prevent war breaking out shortly afterwards. Dictator

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...

commandeered the palace as his residence after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

and lived there until his death.

Access

Since Franco's death, the building has been used as a residence for visiting

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

. When not in use by VIPs, it is open to the public. Objects on display include tapestries made by the Royal Tapestry Factory. Goya 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