An offbeat place to visit in Madrid: Santoña Palace
Across the 6-metres long wooden table, officials from the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Services of Madrid are giving us, the Indian media, a presentation. My concentration, though, is divided between the speakers and the resident elements of the room— a Renaissance inspired ceiling painting, a voluptuous chandelier and an elaborate Baroque décor. This is no ordinary conference centre, but the Luis XIV Room in Santoña Palace of Madrid in Spain, an offbeat place to visit in Madrid city.
A tour to the past
The building’s history goes back to 16th century Spain. For a brief period around 1593, it was the residence of the exiled Prince of Morocco of the Saadi dynasty, Muley Xeque. After the Battle of the Three Kings in Morocco, he sought refuge in Spain and converted to Catholic Christianity. In the Iberian Peninsula, he was known as Felipe de Africa and The Black Prince. Due to the rising anti-Muslim sentiments in the region, Muley eventually migrated to Spanish territories in what is now Italy.
17th century cartographers had marked the building on maps. In the 18th century, Juan Francisco de Goyeneche, a writer, politician, and land developer from Navarre, acquired the mansion and commissioned architect Pedro de Ribera to rework the building. Much like Goyeneche’s favourite architect— the late Jose de Churriguera—Ribera was also an advocate of Baroque style. The granite façade of Huertas Street here is the most prominent work of Ribera that made it to the 21st century without alteration.
In early 19th century, Goyeneche’s successors rented the mansion to serve as royal offices but for a brief time only. Later, they re-inhabited the building again and put it up for sale in 1874, when 70 year old Don Juan Manuel de Manzanedo bought it as a wedding gift for his 40 year-old wife María del Carmen Hernández Espinosa de los Monteros. In 1875, the title of Duke and Duchess of Santoña was conferred to them. Henceforth the mansion came to be known as the Palace of Santoña.
From riches to rags
Don Juan Manuel de Manzanedo belonged from a noble family of Santoña who had built his treasury by exploiting the resources of the newly discovered continents of America, specifically present day Cuba. There he dealt in export of sugarcane, mortgage lending, plantation management and slave trade expeditions—the last one made him exceptionally wealthy.
A huge part of this wealth was spent in redesigning the mansion to suit the taste of the Manzanedos. The best painters and sculptors of Madrid were chosen. Antonio Ruiz de Salces was the chief architect of the project. The duchess, an art connoisseur who collected jewellery, furniture and paintings, had custom-made almost every element of the interior décor. In a turn of fate, in 1882 at the time of the duke’s death, a legally recognized daughter of the duke, born out of a relationship, arrived from Cuba and demanded inheritance.
A 10-year long legal battle ensued between the widowed duchess and her stepdaughter. Betrayed by the lawyer, the duchess lost the lawsuit, her wealth and died in a Parisian servant’s quarter. Meanwhile, the Palace of Santoña changed hands and passed to Jose Canalejas, an influential politician in Madrid. In 1912, he was assassinated. His wife kept on living in the Santoña Palace. After her death, the heir sold the palace to the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Nowadays Santoña Palace serves as the office of the body and is also rented out as a conference venue.
Architecture and Interiors of Santoña Palace
Standing in the corner of the Huertas and Principe Street, Santoña Palace’s façade is simplistic and doesn’t hint at the luxurious interiors. This offbeat place to visit in Madrid truly surprises its visitors once they are inside. It is only while taking the carrara marble staircase of the palace that the fine works of art start stupefying me.
A Palatial Staircase
Two marble lions, one awake, the other sleeping, are positioned at the base of the stairs. As I rise up, classical themed white sculptures stare at me. Copies of the Goddess Fortuna, Minerva, and the Amazon are tastefully placed on the intricate walls. Cherubs support the railings. Higher up, on the canvas of the walls, stories of colonization unfold.
The Duke of Santoña, who immensely benefited from the white supremacy of his times, had proudly displayed the same through paintings. People in rags are seen hovering and working around a platform on which another (seemingly important) person is seated. The painting is a work of Francisco Sanz, the then director of the Prado Museum, and the painting is named “The overseas provinces offering their products to Spain”. I have never come across another sentence with such a colossally wrong usage of the word ‘offering’. To be honest, dwelling too much on the painting can make any person belonging from a previously colonised country uncomfortable.
Bronze lamps lyrically punctuate paintings of nymphs. At the centre of the wall adjacent to the landing is the coat of arms of the House of Manzanedo. The stained glass skylight allows natural light to interact with the artworks inside. The staircase leads to a hall with a life-size portrait of the erstwhile Duke of Santoña — Don Juan Manuel de Manzanedo.
Dwellings of the rich
A series of themed rooms populate the first floor. After attending the meeting in the Luis XIV Room, I tour the other rooms. Sparkling chandeliers, silk draped windows and stucco works adorn all the rooms. The Pompeyano Room features recurring characters famous in the art and literature world of Italy. Their portraits are etched within rhombuses across the walls of the room. A renaissance inspired painting on the ceiling stares down on the multi-coloured marble floor.
The duchess’ boudoir is a strangely circular room decorated with classical painting on the ceiling and imagery of country feasts on the wall. Another wall is entirely dedicated to showcases, which were installed to display the duchess’ jewellery collection.
Another conference party occupies the Oriental Room of the palace restricting my access. I hear it is decorated with elements that reflect the cultural experiences of East Asia—Kimono laden women, and dragons appear in the paintings and sculptures.
In 19th century Europe, smoking rooms were fashionable. The Arabian influenced Turkish Room, is the designated smoking room of the palace. The pointy arch in the fireplace, absence of human and animals in the motifs and largely floral and geometrical décor reflect Islamic styles. Even this room is busy hosting a party/conference but I do manage to take a sneak peek.
Adjacent to the Turkish Room is the Gala Dining Room with paintings of lush foliage. The forests, ponds and countryside in the paintings are symbolic representations of nature’s bounties and abundance of food. The ceiling is adorned by famous painter Alejo Vera’s artwork.
In the poetic Baroque décor of the Ballroom of the palace are layers of history, literature and art. It is impossible to tide through this ocean of allegories in the short time that I had spent in the palace. The intricate ornamentation shrouded in golden plates specked with paintings and sculptures keep my eyes busy. The paintings are again a work of Francisco Sanz, and the themes revolve around agricultural and industrial workers of the Spanish colonies.
Lamps add warmth to the already golden tones. Strategically placed mirrors, some as high as 6 metres, add an illusion of space. It is here that all the themes of the other rooms come together. Men and women of that era danced in this hall but never waltzed—Spain was conservative in this regard and dances involved no intimate hugs.
Overwhelmed by the indoors, I emerge outdoor to the simplistic patio of the Santoña Palace for a quick photo before concluding the tour.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Timings: Monday-Thursday (8AM-5PM); Friday (8AM-2PM)
The site does not function as a normal tourist spot even though they allow tourists every now and then. So please write to the Madrid Chamber of Commerce first to know the details and then plan accordingly.
Have you been to Santoña Palace, Madrid? Do you know about any other offbeat places to visit in Madrid? Comment below and let’s talk!
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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Spain Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.
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Tania Banerjee
Tania is a freelance writer based in India who tinkers with words here and there but mostly focused on travel, food, arts and crafts. She writes for several Indian dailies and magazines.
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