Madrid

The curious history of the Statues of Kings in the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid

Statues of kings of Spain in Plaza de Oriente in Madrid
Statues of kings of Spain in Plaza de Oriente in Madrid

One of the characteristic images of the Plaza de Oriente de Madrid are statues of Spanish kings that are distributed throughout their gardens.

When in your tourist trip to Madrid do the essential visit to the Plaza de Oriente, on the north and south sides of its central gardens you will see rows of ten statues that look towards the large central monument of the square, the equestrian statue of Philip IV.

These limestone statues were sculpted in the mid-18th century, at the time of the king Ferdinand VI, in order to decorate the upper cornice of the Madrid's royal palace.

But, finally, due to the fear that the statues could fall from the location for which they were planned, it was decided to distribute them in different places in the city.

Thus, in addition to the central gardens of the Plaza de Oriente, in Madrid you can see statues of Spanish kings in other places in the city.

Specifically, in the walk of Argentina of the Retirement park, which is better known as the walk of the statues, and in Sabatini Gardens, Along the Royal Palace.

The twenty figures that you can see in the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid They represent five Gothic kings and kings of the period after the reconquest.

About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

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