The Goyeneche Palace in Nuevo Baztán,

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

, Spain, is an eighteenth-century palace with a linked church. It was designed by

José de Churriguera José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, an architect known for a profusely decorated style known as

Churrigueresque Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churrigueresco''), also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th c ...

. The church's interior is an example of this

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, whereas the exterior is less ornate. The building is one of a number of palaces in Spain and Peru which are associated with the Goyeneche family. Nuevo Baztán was built as a

model village A model village is a mostly self-contained community, built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. "Model" implies an ideal to which other developments could aspire. Although the villages ...

by Juan de Goyeneche (1656–1735) to accommodate industrial and agricultural projects. The dedication of the church to Saint

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

reflects the Navarrese origins of the Goyeneche family.

Conservation and access

Since the 1940s the palace and church have been protected for their historical interest. They currently have the heritage listing of ''

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

'' along with two squares which form their setting. In 2007 it was reported that the palace was in a poor state of conservation.

Current use

There have been proposals to restore the palace for use as an art gallery, although the project appears to have been put on hold. The idea was a collaboration between the Community of Madrid and the art-collector Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza who indicated her willingness to display items from her private collection on long-term loan. The palace has extensive cellars built for storage purposes and these are used to house an interpretation centre. There are also guided tours of the palace itself.

External links

Asociación del Patrimonio Artístico de Nuevo Baztán

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goyeneche Palace, Nuevo Baztan Palaces in the Community of Madrid Churches in the Community of Madrid Baroque architecture in the Community of Madrid Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Community of Madrid