Flickr, Paulo Torres

The Royal Theatre (Spanish: Teatro Real) is the main opera house in Мадрид, the capital of Spain. It is located opposite the royal palace. It was built in 1850 by decree of Queen Isabella II and opened on November 19 of the same year with Donizetti's opera “La Favorite.” In 1867, the Madrid Conservatory was also housed in this building. In 1863, Giuseppe Verdi attended a performance of his opera “The Force of Destiny” at the theatre; in 1925, Nijinsky and Stravinsky were present during the гастроли of the “Ballets Russes.” In the same year, during the construction of the metro, the building fell into disrepair, and the theatre was closed. It was renovated only by 1966, but the building was converted into a concert hall where the National Orchestra of Spain and the Symphony Orchestra of Spanish Radio and Television performed; in 1969, the Eurovision Song Contest was held here.

Flickr, PikoLosa

Oriente Square is located on the eastern side of the Royal Palace, which is how it got its name, literally translated as “Eastern Square.”

Plaza de Oriente is shaped like a horseshoe, inside which there is a wonderful garden with statues of Spanish kings who ruled the state начиная с V века.

The design of this square began in the 19th century during the reign of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's elder brother, and was completed several decades later under Queen Isabella II. It was she who ordered the installation of the statue of King Philip IV in the center of the square. Sculptor Pietro Tacca undertook this work, depicting the monarch dashing while seated on a rearing horse. Interestingly, the sculptor was helped in his balance calculations by the works of the great Galileo Galilei.

Today, local residents and tourists alike enjoy coming to Plaza de Oriente to relax in the shade of the many trees after a tiring day. Also on the square, in addition to the Royal Palace, are two other historic buildings — the opera house (Teatro Real) and the Almudena Cathedral.

Flickr, Hilde Kari

The Royal Palace in Мадрид (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid), otherwise the Eastern Palace (Palacio de Oriente), is the official residence of the kings of Spain. It is located in the western part of Мадрид. However, King Juan Carlos I does not live in the palace and visits it only for official ceremonies. On the site of the palace in the Middle Ages stood a Moorish fortress of the emirs of Cordoba and Toledo. Later, the Habsburg Alcazar was built here, destroyed during a terrible fire on Christmas night in 1734. The grandson of Louis XIV, Philip V, the first Bourbon to ascend the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II, wished, after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1700—1714) against Archduke Charles of Austria, to have a great palace in Мадрид similar to Versailles, built by decree of his grandfather. On the advice of his wife and great patron of the arts Isabella Farnese, in 1735 Philip V summoned the Italian architect Filippo Juvarra and commissioned him.

Flickr, Trensamiro

The Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena (Spanish: la catedral de Santa María La Real de La Almudena) is the cathedral church of the archdiocese of Мадрид. It is located opposite the Armory Square of the Royal Palace and is dedicated to Our Lady of Almudena. The name, translated from Arabic, means “fortress” or “bridgehead,” because, according to legend, a figure of the Virgin Mary was found in the wall of an ancient Arab fortress. There was no cathedral in Мадрид because it was not the center of a diocese. On March 9, 1884, Pope Leo XIII issued the bull Romani Pontifices, by which he established the Diocese of Мадрид-Alcala. On April 4, 1884, Alfonso XII laid the foundation stone of the future cathedral, which was to become the burial place of his first wife and cousin, Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans and Bourbon, who died of tuberculosis 6 months after the wedding. The original project in the Neo-Gothic style was designed by the Marquis Francisco de Cubas.

Flickr, adrian.haisan

The Royal Cathedral of St. Francis the Great (Spanish: Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande) is a Catholic cathedral in the central part of the Spanish capital Мадрид, in the La Latina district. The facade of the ceremonial part of the cathedral building faces Saint Francis Square; on the other sides it is surrounded by the Great Avenue of San Francisco (Gran Vía de san Francisco) and Saint Francis Avenue (Carrera de san Francisco). The cathedral is under the care of the Franciscan order. The height of the cathedral's dome is 58 meters, and its diameter is 33 meters. The Royal Cathedral of St. Francis the Great was built and decorated in the Neoclassical style in the second half of the 18th century. Its architects were Francisco Cabezas, and later Antonio Plo and Francesco Sabatini. The cathedral is adorned with canvases by such masters of Spanish painting as Zurbarán and Francisco Goya. At present, the Cathedral of St. Francis the Great serves as the Spanish national pantheon, where outstanding figures of national culture and prominent statesmen are buried.