Filippo Juvarra - Palaces in Madrid

Palaces in Madrid

On Christmas eve in 1734, the ancient Royal Residence of the Alcazar in Madrid was destroyed by fire. This prompted the Bourbon king of Spain, Philip V to request Juvarra to supervise the construction of a new Palace. By April of 1735 the architect had moved to Madrid, and began planning for the construction. The plans we have would have created an even larger structure than the present one with ample gardens. The linear facade has a formal rigidity lacking in some of his other works. He additionally executed designs for the façade of the summer palace of Granja de San Ildefonso and for some portions of Palacio Real de Aranjuez. Juvarra however died suddenly by January of 1736, less than nine months after arriving to Spain. While a wooden mockup was built of his plans for the Royal Palace, all his designs there were executed after his death by his pupils, including Giovanni Battista Sacchetti.