Convento de los Agustinos Recoletos (Madrid)

religious

The Convento de los Agustinos Recoletos, once a massive religious complex, occupies a surprising place in the history of Madrid by giving its name to the entire surrounding district and the famous Paseo de Recoletos. Founded in fifteen ninety-six on land gifted by the Princess of Ascoli, the site was long known locally as the Convento de Copacabana. This unusual name honored an image of the Virgin of Copacabana brought all the way from South America. The chapel housing this icon became a gathering place for the community and featured lavish decorations, including paintings by major masters and intricate sculptures. Today, nothing remains of the original structure, which was torn down in the nineteenth century after the government seized church properties. In its place stand landmarks like the National Library of Spain and the National Archaeological Museum.

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Nearby

National Museum of Archaeology

museum

Neoclassical building housing ancient & more modern artifacts including cave art & Islamic pottery.

Café Gijón

landmark

Café Gijón (Also known as Gran Café de Gijón) is a culturally significant coffeehouse situated at No. 21, in the boulevard of central Madrid, Spain, which is known as Paseo de Recoletos. The café is opposite both a railway station of the same name and the National Library of Spain (BNE).

Biblioteca Nacional de España

educational

18th-century public library with an extensive collection of manuscripts, books & photographs.

Monument to Christopher Columbus

landmark

Plaza de Colón

landmark

Plaza de Colón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈplaθa ðe koˈlon]; lit. 'Columbus Square') is located in the encounter of Chamberí, Centro and Salamanca districts of Madrid, Spain. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer Christopher Columbus, whose name in Spanish was Cristóbal Colón, whose voyages to the Americas would lead to the creation of the Spanish Empire.

Museum of the National Library

museum

Books, manuscripts & period costumes displayed in a colonnaded, neoclassical mansion from 1712.

Monumento a Blas de Lezo

monument

Historical American Exposition

event

The 1892 Historical American Exposition held in Madrid was intended to mark the four hundredth year of the discovery of America.

Monumento a Jorge Juan y Santacilia

historic

Torres de Colón

landmark

Completed in 1976, this architecturally notable office building features twin towers with 23 floors.

Teatro Fernán Gómez

cultural

The Teatro Fernán Gómez (previously Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid) is a theatre and cultural centre in Madrid, Spain.

Statue of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo

monument

The statue of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo is a monument in Madrid, Spain. A work by Lorenzo Coullaut Valera, it consists of a limestone statue of the aforementioned philologist and it is installed in the lobby of the National Library of Spain.

Paseo de Recoletos

other

Paseo de Recoletos is a wide boulevard in central Madrid leading from Plaza de Cibeles to Plaza de Colón. From west to east it consists of: Two southward lanes The pedestrian walk A southward bus lane Three southward lanes Three northward lanes A median strip lined with trees, flowerbeds, etc. Two northward lanes A northward Bus lane.

Wax Museum of Madrid

museum

The Madrid Wax Museum (Spanish: Museo de cera de Madrid) is a wax museum located in Plaza de Colón in Madrid, Spain.

Palacio del Duque de Uceda (Plaza de Colón)

event

The Palacio del Duque de Uceda, also known as Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli was a palace located in Plaza de Colón in Madrid. This palace had two floors and superior body with slate roofing with elegant mansards, was built in 1864 by the Puerto Rican architect Mariano Andrés Avenoza, in a large site along the Plaza de Colón, between the Paseo de Recoletos and Calle de Génova. It was the palace first property of the Duke of Uceda, to be acquired in 1876 by the Marquis of Salamanca, without ever living in it, and later, around 1890 it was purchased by Doña Ángela Pérez de Barradas y Bernuy, widow Duchess of Medinaceli, plus Duchess of Denia y Tarifa.