Plaza de Oriente and statue of Philip IV

Chapter 7/11 · Madrid

We are in the Plaza de Oriente, between the Royal Palace to the west and the Teatro Real to the east. It began with the demolition of houses ordered by Joseph Bonaparte between 1808 and 1813, which earned him the nickname Pepe Plazuelas, Joe Little Squares. The final layout, rectangular with a curved end, was designed by Narciso Pascual y Colomer in 1844. To the north you can see the Royal Monastery of the Incarnation, designed by Juan Gómez de Mora.

In the centre is the jewel of the square: the equestrian statue of Philip IV, made by Pietro Tacca in Florence between 1634 and 1640 working from portraits of the king sent from Madrid, one of them by Velázquez, and a bust by Martínez Montañés. It is considered the first large equestrian statue with a rearing horse: it rises on its hind legs and rests discreetly on its tail. It is said that Galileo Galilei advised the sculptor to make the back solid and the front hollow so that it would stay balanced. The monument was unveiled here on 17 November 1843.

On either side of the gardens are two rows of statues of kings, popularly known as the Gothic kings. They were made to crown the cornice of the palace but ended up scattered around Madrid and other cities. It is said that this was because Queen Elisabeth Farnese dreamed that they fell from the top.

Now we walk round the Teatro Real along Calle de Felipe V to the Plaza de Isabel II.

← Royal Palace · Teatro Real (Royal Opera House) and Plaza de Isabel II →