Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso

Description

At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V (1683-1746) acquired the San Ildefonso farm from the Hieronymite monks with the aim of building a palace for his retirement. The initial management of the works was entrusted to Teodoro Ardemans and René Carlier, the latter being responsible for the design of the gardens. In 1736, Filippo Juvarra became involved in the project and proposed a new façade for the complex. This work was completed after his death by Giambattista Sacchetti.

The monarch and his consort, Isabel de Farnesio (1692-1766), promoted the interior decoration of the palace by incorporating works of remarkable artistic quality. Inventories confirm the presence of paintings by artists such as Guido Reni, Andrea Malinconico, Titian, Marinus van Reymerswaele, and Quentin Massys, among others.

After the monarch's death, Isabel de Farnesio retired to the palace and promoted its expansion under the supervision of Andrea Procaccini. During this period, she assembled an outstanding art collection (Lavalle-Cobo, 2002) that featured not only paintings but also luxury arts, including porcelain and silverware. On January 2, 1918, the palace suffered a major fire. However, the fire did not affect the main façade or the rooms immediately behind it (Giménez, 2025).

Bibliography

• GARCÍA SÁNCHEZ, Laura y PELIZZONI, Luigi (1998): "La construcción del Palacio de la Granja través del epistolario entre Dorotea Sofía de Neuburgo e Isabel de Farnesio: Andrea Procaccini y el modelo parmensede Edilicia de Jardines", en El Mediterráneo y el arte español, Comité Español de Historia del Arte, Valencia.
• GIMÉNEZ, Enric-Eduard (2025): "«Lo que el incendio se llevó». Reconstruir el Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso gracias a los inventarios alfonsinos", en Inventarios y relaciones de bienes: valor y usos en instituciones culturales del S. XXI: V Encuentro Internacional Museo Cerralbo, Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid.
• LAVALLE-COBO, Teresa (2002): Isabel de Farnesio. La reina coleccionista, Caylus, Madrid.
• PÉREZ GALLARDO, Helena y RODRÍGUEZ RUIZ, Delfín (2000): El Real Sitio de La Granja de San Ildefonso, retrato y escena del rey: La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid.