The Colegio Santa María del Pilar, known also as Colegio Santa María, is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
private primary, middle and high
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
founded by the
Society of Mary in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
The school campus is one of the largest in central Madrid and its
listed chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
, built in the 1950s, is one of the finest examples of early Spanish modern 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) 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
The Retiro Park (Spanish: , literally "Good Retreat Park"), also known as Buen Retiro Park or simply El Retiro, is one of the largest Urban park, city parks in Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868, when it became a ...
. 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 (actress).
*
Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (Royal family of Spain)
*
Rafael del Pino (business magnate, philanthropist)
*
Antonio Resines (actor)
*
Diego López Garrido (socialist politician)
*
Borja Pérez (Spanish footballer)
*
Luis de Guindos (Spanish minister of Economy)
*
José Ignacio Wert (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