The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional (Board of Directors of the National Heritage, or National Heritage) is a Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency (the support ministry of the Prime Minister's Office or Presidency of the Government) by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain

Prime Minister of Spain

The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...

, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish State and used by the King of Spain and the Spanish Royal Family

Spanish Royal Family

The Royal Family of the Kingdom of Spain consists of the current king, Juan Carlos, his spouse, Queen Sofia of Spain and their direct descendants. The Spanish royal family belongs to the House of Borbón...

 as residences and for State Ceremonies. The Patrimonio Nacional includes palace

Palace

A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...

s, garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

s, monasteries

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 and convent

Convent

A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...

s, called the Royal sites

Spanish royal sites

The royal sites are a set of palaces, monasteries, and convents built for and under the patronage of the Spanish monarchy. They are administered by Patrimonio Nacional , a Spanish state agency; most are open to the public, at least in part, except when they are needed for state or official...

. When not in official use, the Royal sites are open to the public.

During the reign of Alfonso XIII, it was known as Patrimonio Real (Royal Heritage).

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

El Escorial

The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...

 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 Board

The Board of Directors, according to Act 23/1982 is composed by a Chairman and a Manager appointed by the King, with the advice of the Prime Minister; and ten members of renown reputation, including two City Councilors of towns where properties of Patrimonio Nacional are located (currently the cities of Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 and Palma). The current Board is composed by:

Chairman: Nicolás Martínez-Fresno y Pavía

Manager: Antonio Bordallo Huidobro

Directors: María Ángeles Albert de León, Aina María Calvo Sastre, Carlos Carderera Soler, María de las Mercedes Díez Sánchez, Nicolás Martínez-Fresno Pavía, Juan José Puerta Pascual, Luis Reverter Gelabert, José Manuel Romero Moreno, Alberto Ruíz-Gallardón Jiménez

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez is a Spanish politician and mayor of Madrid. A stalwart of the conservative People's Party , he has previously been a leading figure in various local and national legislative bodies.-Personal life:...

and José Luis Vázquez Fernández.