Juan Paez de Castro facts for kids

Juan Páez de Castro (around 1512–1570) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. He was also a trusted advisor, known as a confessor, to King Philip II of Spain.

Early Life and Education

Juan Páez de Castro was born in Spain around the year 1512. He was a very smart student and studied at important universities. These included the University of Alcalá de Henares, the University of Salamanca, and the University of Bologna in Italy. During his studies, he became very good at ancient languages like Greek and Latin.

A Vision for Libraries

After finishing his education, Juan Páez de Castro traveled around Italy. He visited many famous libraries there. This experience helped him understand how incredibly valuable large collections of books and knowledge could be. He realized that a country would benefit greatly from having a big, well-organized library.

Because of this, Juan Páez de Castro became one of the first people to suggest that a government should pay for and build a national library. He wrote a detailed plan and presented it to King Philip II of Spain. He asked the King to create such a library for Spain.

The Royal Library at El Escorial

King Philip II liked Juan Páez de Castro's idea. As a result of his proposal, a grand royal library was planned and built. This library became part of the famous El Escorial complex. Sadly, Juan Páez de Castro passed away before the library was fully finished. However, his vision helped create one of Spain's most important centers of knowledge.

Studying Spain's Population

Besides his work on libraries, Juan Páez de Castro also helped with another important project. He worked to create a plan to study the population of Spain. This type of study, called a demographic survey, helps governments understand how many people live in a country, where they live, and other important facts about them. This information is useful for planning and making decisions.

Unfortunately, Juan Páez de Castro died before this population survey could actually be put into action. Even so, his ideas and efforts showed his dedication to learning and improving his country.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Páez de Castro para niños