Madrid Itineraries - From Medieval Madrid to Madrid of the Austrias

We start our tour at the Plaza Mayor (1) (Main Square), which takes its name at the start of the 16th century. Juan de Herrera was commissioned to remodel the old square of Arrabal, but construction wasn’t begun until 1617 under the direction of Juan Gómez de Mora by order of Felipe III. Inaugurated in 1620, this large rectangular, stonepaved plaza with its ground floor arcades, underwent its last remodeling in 1853 by Juan de Villanueva.

Until the last century, the Plaza Mayor served as a marketplace on weekdays and was the scene of popular events from bullfights to public announcement of sentences during the Inquisition, religious processions, public executions and dance and theater festivals. Beneath the arcades, you can find an assortment of shops that sell fabrics, costume jewelry and souvenirs, along with outdoor cafés, taverns and bakeries. Some of the shops are one of a kind. On Sunday mornings a stamp market is held beneath the arches, and during the Christmas holidays numerous stalls offer all types of Christmas decorations for sale.

The most striking building in the Plaza Mayor is the Casa de la Panadería (2) (Bakery House), with its colorful fresco–adorned façade. On the opposite side of the square is the Casa de la Carnicería (3); this former butcher shop now houses Municipal offices. In the center of the plaza is the equestrian statue of Felipe III by the Italian Juan de Bolonia. Leaving through the eastern exit of the Plaza Mayor, in the Plaza de la Provincia, we find the Palacio de Santa Cruz (4), current site of the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), a handsome building constructed as seat of the Courts, according to the project by Juan Gómez de Mora between 1629-1643.

Returning to the Plaza Mayor, cross the Plaza diagonally and take Calle Ciudad Rodrigo to the Plaza de San Miguel, where the market known as the Mercado de San Miguel (5) can be seen supporting its roof with airy iron columns. Now proceed along the Calle Mayor until reaching the Plaza de la Villa (6) (Town Square). Here we find the Casa de la Villa designed by Juan Gómez de Mora in 1640 to house the Town Council and jail. The Casa de Cisneros (7) (Cisnero’s House), a reconstruction undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century of the 16th century Plateresque palace, is entered from the Calle Sacramento. Returning to the Plaza, we see the mudejar–style (a mixture of Moorish and Christian) Palacio & Torre de Lujanes (8) (Lujan Palace and Tower), built in the 15th century.

The narrow Calle del Codo takes us to the Plaza del Conde de Miranda where we encounter the Convento de las Carboneras (9) (Convent of the Carboneras) built in 1607, which houses a collection of interesting paintings. The adjoining back streets make up the framework of what was once a Medieval town sprinkled with convents and palaces. On emerging from the convent, continue down the street to the Calle San Justo. Here we find the Basilica de San Miguel (10), (St. Michael’s Basilica) a Baroque 18th century building designed with an interesting curved façade. To the right of the basilica is a tiny gated passageway called Pasadizo del Panecillo where we can glimpse the Baroque façade of the Palacio Arzobispal (11) (Archbishop’s Palace).

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