Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso
Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso

General information
Architectural style	Rococo
Location	Real Sitio de San Ildefonso (Segovia), Spain
Construction started	1721
Opened	Exclusive property for the monarch: 1724
Management	Patrimonio Nacional
Technical details
Size	25,000 square metres (270,000 sq ft)
Grounds	146 hectares (360 acres) of gardens
Design and construction
Architect	Teodoro Ardemans

Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name	Palacio de San Ildefonso con sus dependencias y Jardines
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	11 August 1925
Reference no.	RI-51-0000314

Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name	Jardines del Palacio de San Ildefonso
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Historic Garden
Designated	3 June 1931
Reference no.	RI-52-0000002

The Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, often called La Granja, is a beautiful palace from the 1700s. You can find it in the small town of San Ildefonso, close to Segovia and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Madrid, in central Spain.

Spanish kings used La Granja as their summer home starting in the 1720s, especially King Philip V. The palace has a calm Baroque look. It is surrounded by huge gardens designed in the fancy French style, complete with amazing fountains. Today, you can visit La Granja as a museum.

History of La Granja Palace
- How the Palace Was Built
- Later Royal History
The Royal Gardens
- Amazing Fountains
Gallery
See also

History of La Granja Palace

"Fame" fountain and side garden view of La Granja.

Baroque main facade with sculptures.

This area was a favorite hunting spot for many kings from the Kingdom of Castile. This was because of its location on the wooded northern slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains. In the 1400s, Henry IV of Castile built the first hunting lodge here. He also built a small church dedicated to San Ildefonso (Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo). This saint gave the place its first name.

Later, Isabella I of Castile gave both buildings to the monks of the Santa Maria del Parral monastery in Segovia. The monks built an almshouse (a place for poor people) and started a granja (farm) next to the lodge and church.

How the Palace Was Built

French-style garden at La Granja.

King Philip V bought the land from the monks in 1719. This happened after his summer palace nearby burned down. Philip was the first Spanish king from the French Bourbon dynasty. Starting in 1721, he began building a new palace and gardens. He wanted them to look like Versailles, which was built by his grandfather, Louis XIV of France.

Like Versailles, La Granja had a special entrance courtyard called a cour d'honneur. It also had formal gardens with a main path leading from the palace. These gardens were surrounded by woods with more hidden garden features. La Granja started as a quiet escape for the king. But it soon became an important place for the royal government, just like Versailles.

For the palace's design, Philip first chose a simple plan by Spanish architect Teodoro Ardemans. This plan included a chapel in the center of one side. The palace was made bigger between 1728 and 1734 by Andrea Procaccini and Sempronio Subisati. They added courtyards on the sides. Then, Filippo Juvarra from Turin gave the palace its final look. His assistant was Giovanni Battista Sacchetti.

When King Philip decided to step down from the throne in 1724, he planned to live at La Granja. But his son, King Louis I, died that same year. So, Philip had to become king again. This meant that La Granja, which was meant for relaxation, became a key meeting place for the king, his ministers, and the court.

The town of San Ildefonso grew to house and serve the people who wanted to be near the king. Military barracks, a church (built 1721–1724), and even a royal glass factory (1728) were built for the palace. The glass factory still operates today as part of Saint Gobain.

Philip chose the church as his burial place. This was different from the kings before him. Famous paintings in the church were badly damaged in a fire in 1918.

Later Royal History

Ferdinand VI, Philip's successor, gave La Granja to his father's second wife, Isabel Farnese. She had to live there, away from Madrid politics, during his rule. She kept a large royal court there. When she died in 1766, the palace went back to the Crown, to her son Charles III.

For the next 120 years, La Granja was the main summer palace for the Spanish court. Many royal weddings, burials, treaties, and political events happened there. However, after the 1880s, the court preferred seaside palaces. La Granja was used less often. In 1918, a big fire damaged the palace. While repairs were made, much of the inside decorations and items were lost.

Today, La Granja is managed by Patrimonio Nacional of Spain. This organization cares for many royal lands and palaces. It is a popular place for tourists to visit. The palace has rooms with marble, Japanese lacquer, and crystal lights. You can also see portraits, paintings, and a museum of Flemish tapestries.

The Royal Gardens

The gardens around the palace cover over 1,500 acres (6.1 km²). They are one of the best examples of 18th-century European garden design in Spain. They are in the French style. René Carlier, a French designer, used the natural slope of the land. This helped create amazing views and provided enough water pressure for the twenty-six fountains.

Sculptors came from Paris to create the designs. These included René Frémin and Jean Thierry. They worked on many vases and sculptures.

Amazing Fountains

All the fountains show stories from classical mythology. These include Greek gods, symbols, and scenes from myths. They are made of lead to stop them from rusting. They are painted to look like bronze or white marble.

The "Baths of Diana" fountain is a main point in the gardens. It was made from lead and painted to look like bronze and marble. This fountain and its marble statues are some of the most impressive and well-kept art from this time in Spain. Sculptors like Fremin, Thierry, and Bousseau worked on it from 1720 to 1745. The fountains' water displays are truly spectacular. However, King Philip once said about the "Baths of Diana," "It cost me three millions and amused me three minutes."

The original water system and pipes still work today. They use only gravity to shoot water high into the air. The "Fame" fountain can shoot water up to 40 metres (130 ft) high! A hidden reservoir called El Mar (the Sea) is at the highest point of the park. It provides all the water and pressure for the entire system.

Today, only a few fountains are turned on each day. But twice a year, on the feast days of San Fernando and San Luis, all twenty-six fountains are turned on. This creates a truly memorable experience for visitors.

Gallery

La Granja facade at Patio de la Herradura.
Fountains and Patio de Coches facade.
Fountain in the gardens of La Granja.
Facade detail.
El Mar (The Sea)
Patio de la Herradura courtyard
Print of La Granja palace and gardens in 1873.

Royal chapel at La Granja.
Fountain and music temple in gardens.
Interior of Retreat Room.
Funerary Monument of King Philip V and Elizabeth Farnese, by Dumandre & Puthois.

Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso facts for kids

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