All Roads Lead to the Plaza de Palacio: Architecture and Ceremony in Habsburg Madrid

Used by people of all classes and fronted by the architectural seat of imperial government, the Plaza de Palacio was the preeminent space of power in Habsburg Madrid. In the 1670s, during the regency of Mariana of Austria, it was lined with arcades and adorned with sculpture. This talk explores the plaza’s design within the context of late seventeenth-century European urbanism, demonstrating that its transformation reflects Madrid’s evolving image as the capital of an empire. This event is the “Nigel Glendinning” ARTES Annual Lecture 2021.