Symbol of the King’s power.
Philip V originally intended this palace as a place to retire to after he has decided to abdicate in favour of his son Louis, and it reflects the magnificence of the palaces and gardens of a Spanish king who was the grandson of the Roi Soleil and had spent his childhood at the court of Versailles.
The idea of splendour and identifying the King’s power with his residence is so rooted in the 18th Century that it is also found in other European dynasties as they began to build their palaces outside of their capital cities.
The Spanish architect Teodoro Ardenans initially created a palace of reduced dimensions using a square layout around a central courtyard, the Pation dela Fuente, with four towers. He constructed the Collegiata on the main axis of the palace outside the perimeter walls with the double function of royal chapel and chapel for public religious use; the people gained access from outside the building by the side transept doors, the King from inside the palace.
The monarchs took up residence in September 1723, but the death of his son Louis I the following year, forced Philip V to return to the throne.
This event had a profound influence on the palace which was transformer from a private residence to the seat of royal power. Consequently, Philip V, wishing to demonstrate all the splendour of his dynasty, began impressive additions – four new parallel wings – commissioning the work to the Italian architect Procaccini. Of particular importance is the Patiode la Herradura, an extraordinary ceremonial courtyard noted for its theatrical effect – ‘’an open-air ballroom with richly decorated walls’’.
The principal garden façade was later entrusted to Filippo Juvarra, the renowned architect from Messina in Sicily and the creator of the façade of Palazzo Madama in Turin. On Juvarra’s unexpected death, his disciple Sacchetti received the commission to carry out the works (1736).
To embellish the interior of the palace and give the finishing touches to the overall splendour, the king appointed two great Italian artists, Rusca and Bonaria, to decorate the ceilings with magnificent frescoes in the Baroque style. This highly spectacular style deploying architectural perspective and theatrical effects was frequently used in the palaces of many European courts. The frescoes depicted mythological scenes and, together with the sculptures in the gardens, created an allegory intended to exalt the values and virtues of the monarch.
In the Royal Apartments we find the salon de Lacas, decorated with Chinese lacquered panels and designed by Filippo Juvarra on the lines of his already completed Gabinetto delle Lacche in the Royal Palace in Turin.
This type of Oriental style room became fashionable and was reproduced in other European palaces.
Finally, one must not forget the mirrors and chandeliers, for the most part produced by the Royal Crystal Factory of La Granja. Philip V, following the example of the Royal Manufactures of his grandfather Louis XIV – a model that later developed around many other European courts – encouraged the establishment of Manufactures for the production of luxury goods (crystal, porcelain, carpets…) with the purpose of fulfilling the furnishing requirements of the palace.