Spanish royal sites
Encyclopedia
The royal sites are a set of palace
s, monasteries
, and convent
s built for and under the patronage of the Spanish monarchy
. They are administered by Patrimonio Nacional
(National Heritage), a Spanish state agency; most are open to the public, at least in part, except when they are needed for state or official events.
Here is a list of the Patrimonio Nacional royal sites, with the provinces where they are located.
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, 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 built for and under the patronage of the Spanish monarchy
Spanish monarchy
The Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and an historic office of Spain...
. They are administered by Patrimonio Nacional
Patrimonio Nacional
The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional is a Spanish state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish...
(National Heritage), a Spanish state agency; most are open to the public, at least in part, except when they are needed for state or official events.
Here is a list of the Patrimonio Nacional royal sites, with the provinces where they are located.
Royal palaces
- Royal Palace of MadridRoyal Palace of MadridThe Palacio Real de Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid...
(Madrid) (official residenceOfficial residenceAn official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
of the King) - Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Royal Castle & Monastery of El Escorial (Madrid)
- Royal Palace of El Pardo (Madrid)
- Palace of Zarzuela (Madrid) (de facto residence of the King and Royal Family, part of the larger El Pardo complex)
- Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Madrid)
- Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso (SegoviaSegovia (province)Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
) - Royal Palace of Riofrío (Segovia)
- Royal Palace of La AlmudainaRoyal Palace of La AlmudainaThe Royal Palace of La Almudaina is the Alcázar of Palma, the capital city of the Island of Majorca, Spain. It is the royal summer official residence and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.- External links :*...
(Palma de MallorcaPalma de MallorcaPalma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, Balearic IslandsBalearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
)
Royal convents and monasteries
- Convent of Las Descalzas Reales (Madrid)
- Royal Convent of La EncarnaciónRoyal Convent of La EncarnaciónThe Royal Monastery of the Incarnation or Real Monasterio de la Encarnación is a convent of the order of Recolet Augustines located in Madrid, Spain. The institution mainly interned women from noble families, and was founded by the Queen Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III, and thus was well...
(Madrid) - Royal Convent of Santa ClaraRoyal Convent of Santa ClaraThe Royal Convent of Santa Clara is a nunnery in Tordesillas, Spain. Founded by the king Pedro of Castile in 1363, this convent of Poor Clares is now under the administration of the Spanish national heritage organisation, the Patrimonio Nacional....
(ValladolidValladolid (province)Valladolid is a province of central/northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca....
) - Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de HuelgasAbbey of Santa Maria la Real de HuelgasThe Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas is a monastery of Cistercian nuns located approximately 1.5 km west of the city of Burgos in Spain. The word huelgas, which usually refers to "labor strikes" in modern Spanish, refers in this case to land which had been left fallow...
(BurgosBurgos (province)The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
) - Benedictine Abbey of Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (Madrid)
Sanctuaries under royal patronage
- Pantheon of Illustrious MenPantheon of Illustrious MenThe Pantheon of Illustrious Men 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 Nuestra Señora de Atocha in the Retiro section of Madrid.The pantheon houses the tombs of a...
(Madrid) - Convent of San PascualConvent of San PascualThe Convent of San Pascual is a royal monastery in Aranjuez, Spain, founded by King Charles III of Spain as a Franciscan monastery and built from 1765 to 1770. Under the reign of Isabel II of Spain, it was assigned to the Conceptioninst nuns, and now is under the administration of the Patrimonio...
(Madrid) - Convent of Santa IsabelConvent of Santa IsabelThe Convent of Santa Isabel is a royal monastery in central Madrid, Spain. Belonging to the Augustine order of nuns founded by the wife of Philip III of Spain, Margaret of Austria, it is located near the Atocha Train Station. A school for girls there had been founded by Philip II...
(Madrid) - Colegio de Doncellas NoblesColegio de Doncellas NoblesThe Colegio de Doncellas Nobles was a school for girls founded in 1551 in Toledo, Spain, and placed under royal patronage. It is now considered a royal site, under the administration of the Patrimonio Nacional. The girls were admitted to the school between the ages of seven and ten, and received an...
(ToledoToledo (province)Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila....
)
Other royal sites residences
These current or historical royal residences are well known but are not administered by Patrimonio Nacional:- Royal Alcázar of SevilleAlcázar of Sevillethumb|right|250px|Baths of Lady María de PadillaThe Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort....
under the care of Patronato del Real Alcázar de Sevilla. - Royal Alcázar of SegoviaAlcázar of SegoviaThe Alcázar of Segovia is a stone fortification, located in the old city of Segovia, Spain. Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape - like the...
, administered by the Patronato del Alcázar de Segovia - Albéniz Palace (the King's official residence in CataloniaCataloniaCatalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
) in the city of Barcelona, under the care of Generalitat of Catalonia. - Marivent Palace (the King's summer residence) in Palma de Mallorca, under the care of Government of the Balearic Islands.
- Valladolid Royal PalaceValladolid Royal PalaceThe Royal Palace of Valladolid, was the official residence of the Kings of Spain during the period in which the Royal Court had its seat in Valladolid between 1601 and 1606, and a temporary residence of the Spanish Monarchs from Charles I to Isabella II, as well as and also of Napoleon during the...
(ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, CastileCastile (historical region)A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
) - Royal Residence of La Mareta (LanzaroteLanzaroteLanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
, Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
) - Palacio del Buen Retiro, Madrid - historical, destroyed
- San Jeronimo el Real, Church/Monastery, Madrid