Palacio District, Madrid

The Church of San Francisco el Grande was built for an old-established Franciscan friary. The design for the church, which was begun in 1761, was produced by Fray Francisco Cabezas, who took as his model Carlo Fontana's Church of Santa Maria in Campitel in Rome. In 1770 Francisco Sabatini, Charles III's favorite architect, took over the direction of the project, and the Neo-Classical facade is his work. The dome was added in 1770 by Antonio Pló.The interior - on a circular plan, with a dome and six chapels - has paintings by Maella, Francisco Bayeu, González Velázquez and Goya. In the first chapel on the left are Goya's "San Bernardino", González Velázquez's "St Bonaventure" and "The Appearance of the Virgin to St Anthony". The church also contains numerous other works of art, including a "St Bonaventure" ascribed to Zurbarán, a "St Francis" by Alonso Cano and stalls from the Convent of El Paular.

Madrid owes the Plaza de Oriente to Napoleon's brother, who ruled Spain as King Joseph I from 1808 to 1813. Work on the construction of the square, which was designed to create a vista between the Puerta del Sol and the Palacio Real, was suspended after the War of Liberation and the return of Ferdinand VII to the Spanish throne, and the square was completed in its present form only in the reign of his daughter Isabella II. It is a harmonious ensemble of gardens, trees and buildings, notable among which is the massive Teatro Real.On the other side of the square is the Convento de la Encarnación.

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena is one of the oldest in Madrid, dating back to the ninth C. In the course of the centuries it has been much altered and enlarged, pulled down and rebuilt, and building work is still in progress. In the time of Lope de Vega (16th-17th C.) a rich and handsome church stood on this site, close to the Alcázar; but in 1870, for reasons that are not clear, this church was demolished. In 1883 the foundation-stone of a Neo-Gothic church of The Almudena huge size was laid on the site of the earlier church, and a number of different architects worked on the gigantic project until work came to a halt in 1940.Building work is now once again in progress on the future Cathedral of La Almudena, under the direction of Fernando Chueca. The facade, looking on to the Plaza de la Armería and the Royal Palace (see Palacio Real), is complete, but much work remains to be done on the nave and the apse, which are unlikely to be completed in the foreseeable future.

The building of the Theater Royal, which stands in the Plaza de Oriente facing the Palacio Real, was begun in 1818 after the demolition of the old Caños del Peral Theater, and after various interruptions the theater, also known as the Teatro de La Ópera, was ceremonially inaugurated by the young Queen Isabella II on November 19, 1850 with a performance of Donizetti's opera "La Favorita".The theater became famous for performances of Verdi and Wagner operas, works by Stravinsky and Russian ballet.In 1925 the theater had to be closed because of the danger of collapse and the infiltration of ground-water, and after long-drawn-out restoration work it reopened in 1966 as a concert hall. The opening of the Auditorio Nacional in 1989 paved the way for the theater to assume its original role as Madrid's opera house once more. The Teatro de la Zarzuela, which in the meantime has been used to stage operas, can then revert to its original function as a venue for the Spanish light opera tradition known as "Zarzuela".

The Monasterio de San Plácido, a convent of Benedictine nuns, is situated in one of the oldest parts of Madrid, to the north of the Gran Vía. It is one of a group of churches - San Antonio de los Alemanes, San Martin and the Immaculada Concepción - characteristic of the Late Baroque architecture of Madrid. San Plácido was founded in 1623 by Doña Teresa Valle de la Cerda, who became its first Abbess; the architect was Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolás, a native of Madrid.The church, which is excellently preserved, has the restrained simplicity characteristic of Madrid Baroque. The High Altar, with a large "Annunciation", was the work of Claudio Coello, who was also responsible for the two side-altars in the transepts, dedicated respectively to St Gertrude (right) and saints Scholastica and Benedict (left). Velázquez's famous "Christ on the Cross", now in the Prado, was painted for San Plácido.

The Palacio de Santa Cruz, now occupied by the Foreign Ministry (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores), was originally built in the 17th C. as a prison. Together with the Plaza Mayor and the Casa de la Villa it forms part of the "Government quarter" which grew up round the old Alcázar of the Habsburgs. This substantial and well-proportioned building, with two stories flanked by towers, is believed to have been designed either by Juan Bautista Crescenci or by Juan Gómez de Mora, the architect responsible for the Plaza Mayor. In 1786, during the reign of Charles III, the palace was converted into a Law Court by Juan de Villanueva; from 1834 to 1877 it was occupied by the Madrid courts; and since 1931 it has housed the Foreign Ministry.

The Pontifical Church of San Miguel is near the Plaza de la Villa and only a short distance away from the Plaza Puerta Cerrada. Like so many other Madrid churches, it was built on the site of an earlier church. Although not one of the city's finest churches, it is of imposing and indeed monumental aspect.It was begun in 1739 to the design of the Italian architect Santiago Bonavia, who was later succeeded by Virgilio Rabaglio and then by Andrés de Rusca.The church has an aisleless nave with side chapels, embryonic transepts and a dome, and is decorated with frescoes by Bartólomé Rusca. The Baroque facade, with an outward curve in the Italian manner, is built of granite and is flanked by two turrets.

The Church of San Pedro, known as San Pedro el Viejo (Old St Peter's), is situated in the oldest part of Madrid, the area round the Plaza Puerta Cerrada and Calle de Segovia. Its square brick tower, dating from the mid 14th C., is one of the few remnants of medieval architecture in Madrid. Typical features of the Mudéjar style of the Moorish builders working in Christian Spain are the use of red brick, the sparing decoration and the horseshoe arches taken over from Moorish architecture.The church itself was built in the 17th C. Like many churches in the older part of Madrid, it fell on evil days in later centuries; and a succession of robberies, most recently in 1936, reduced it to its present rather desolate condition.

The lively and attractive market of San Miguel, just off the Calle Mayor and in the immediate vicinity of the Plaza Mayor, is an example of progressive municipal development in 19th C. Madrid.The colorful market, with its stalls laid out in regular rows on two levels, was originally constructed in 1835 and was completed in its present form in 1915 (architect Alfonso Dubé). It replaced the picturesque but unhygienic confusion of foodstuffs and other wares on the old market square. Recently the iron structure of the market building has been fitted with glass walls to provide protection against both heat and cold.

In the converted royal stables in the Campo del Moro behind the Palacio Real and opened in 1967 is a noteworthy collection of sedan-chairs and carriages. The entrance is situated on the Paseo Virgen del Puerto, the main section of a popular promenade for strollers in the 18th C. The oldest exhibit is Charles V's sedan chair, dating from the 16th C. and in the style of a covered traveling trunk. Also on display is the carriage of Juana la Loca, as well as some magnificent coaches used in the 19th C. by parliamentary representatives.

The huge circular structure of the Las Ventas bullring, in Neo-Mudéjar style, has seating for 23,000 spectators. It was opened in 1934 by the celebrated bullfighters Juan Belmonte, Marcial Lalanda and Cagancho. After the Civil War other famous matadors including Manolete, Arruza, Dominguín, Litri, Bienvenida and Ordóñez achieved their triumphs here. Las Ventas has also been the scene of historic political demonstrations - during the Second Republic and in 1977, before the first democratic election after Franco's death.

San Nicolás is Madrid's oldest church, though only the brick tower survives from the original structure - one of the few examples of Mudéjar architecture in the city. The horseshoe arches at the entrance to the choir and the stucco decoration are also in Mudéjar style.The reredos on the High Altar was the work of Juan de Herrera, the architect of the Escorial, who was buried in San Nicolás; his remains were later removed to his native town of Santander.

Arco de Cuchilleros, meaning arch of the swordsmen, is a stone arch covering one of the stairways leading into Plaza Mayor from Cuchilleros street. In the 1700's it was a place where swords and knives were sharpened since it was close to the butcher's area in the Plaza.

These two streets have always been especially lively and popular shopping thoroughfares. Among the long-established firms there have traditionally been many textile and cloth dealers, jewelers and clockmakers and above all dealers in militaria, stamps and coins. More recently music shops have become established.

This Convent of the Reparadoras was designed in 1782 by Ventura Rodriguez and dates to about the 19th century. The church was built for the purpose of installing the Court of the Inquisition.

The park has a central vista with ramps on both side leading from the palace to the fountain. The informal woodland has grown a great variety of shrubs and trees which include maples, oriental planes, magnolias and Judas trees.

In the 15th century the Church of St Peter the Old was built with a 14th century mudejar tower built over the minaret of a former mosque.

The Palace of the Marquis Grimaldi was designed by Sabatini in 1776 and it adjoins the Senate Palace.

The current seat of the Spanish Senate, the Senate Palace was originally built in the 16th century for a community of Agustinian friars.

Formerly a butcher shop, Casa de la Carnicería now houses municipal offices.

The convent was built in 1607 and currently houses a collection of paintings.