Plaza Mayor is one of the main squares of Madrid. The square, built in the style of Baroque style, designed by architect Juan Gómez de Mora, is a real architectural masterpiece of the Habsburg era. architectural masterpiece of the Habsburg era.
The inauguration of the square took place on 15 May 1620, on the day of the inauguration of Isidore de Merlot-i-Carlo. Isidore de Merlot y Quintana was consecrated. Since then, Isidore has been considered patron saint of Madrid, and 15 May is a public holiday.
Originally, the square was surrounded by buildings made of wood, which caused frequent fires in the area. The reconstruction of the square after a fire in 1790 was carried out under the direction of under the direction of the architect Juan de Villanueva. The architect decided to replace the wooden houses surrounding The architect decided to replace the wooden houses surrounding the square with stone ones and connected the buildings along the entire perimeter. В The connected buildings created nine fairly wide arched passageways. The rebuilding of the square took about 60 years and was completed by 1853. Today Today, the Plaza Mayor has a quadrangular shape, and is surrounded by a series of of 136 interconnected buildings in the same style. The facades of the buildings are adorned with balconies that allow you to see what is going on in the square. The balcony of the Casa de Panadería was once occupied by members of the royal family, watching festivities or executions in the Plaza Mayor.
In the centre of the square is a magnificent equestrian statue of King Philip III, made of bronze. The monument was begun by the Flemish sculptor Giambologna. Giambologna, and was completed by his pupil Pedro Tacca in 1616.
