OUR STORY
and the construction of the Liria Palace
“The Liria Palace was the first building in Madrid worthy of harmonizing with the Royal Palace,” said José Manuel Pita Andrade, former director of the Prado Museum and curator of the Casa de Alba. Although this comparison referred to the neoclassical condition of both buildings, there are important variations between the two. Unlike other palaces and mansions in Madrid, the Liria Palace was not built next to the Paseo del Prado, but on the outskirts of the city, near the San Joaquín Gate, which marked the border of Madrid to the northwest and next to the Corps Guard barracks, later called the Count-Duke in honor of the 3rd Duke of Berwick and 14th Earl of Lemos, builder of the Liria Palace. Another difference is that its façade, instead of facing directly to the street, was surrounded by gardens. The initiative was led by Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 3rd Duke of Berwick, a lineage whose ancestry dates back to the English monarchy. Grandson of the distinguished Marshal of Berwick, James Fitz-James, natural son of the King of England, Scotland and Ireland, James II Stuart, and of Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill.
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The marshal of Berwick was educated in France, after his father was dethroned after the “Glorious Revolution” in 1688, and later commanded the Franco-Spanish army in the War of the Spanish Succession in support of the candidate for the throne Philip of Anjou, great-grandson of King Philip IV of Spain and grandson of Louis XIV of France, who will settle after the war as Philip V. As a reward for his military services and triumphs —the most resounding was the decisive victory in Almansa (1707) -, the king granted him the majority and title of Duke of Liria (Valencian town), of where the palace borrows its name. From that moment on, the Dukes of Berwick and Liria settled in Spain. Its main residence will be the new palace of Liria, commissioned by the 3rd Duke, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Colón, son of the namesake and the Duchess of Veragua, direct heir to Christopher Columbus, which is why today the largest set of original autographs by the Admiral is kept in the archives of the Casa de Alba.
When the construction of the Liria Palace began, the young duke resided in Paris, and he chose the French architect Guilbert to carry out the works, giving the new mansion technical and stylistic characteristics of Hotels Parisians. The Marquis de San Leonardo, brother of the duke, supervised the works and they kept up an interesting correspondence that is now being used by experts in this field. But the French architect was replaced in the early 1770s by Ventura Rodríguez, who corrected some technical errors and practically completed the construction. Both the Duke of Berwick and the architect of Ciempozuelos will die without seeing it finished. It was Blas Beltrán Rodríguez, Ventura's cousin, who completed it, resulting in a beautiful palace of marked neoclassical style, rectangular in shape, with a low cushioned body that serves as the base for the Tuscan columns and pilasters that cover two floors. The front and back gardens, designed in the European way, will change over time as a result of changes in fashion. The front was initially a parade ground square, called “Plaza del Duque de Berwick” in the 18th century plans of Madrid. Later, trees are placed and it becomes a garden. Today its aesthetic is in the English romantic style, composed of a central meadow with centuries-old magnolia, cedar, chestnut, yew or cypress trees and surrounded by paths, while the rear one was redesigned in 1916 by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, recovering the classicist imprint that formed the flowerbed, the central fountain and groves decorated with ancient and modern sculptures.
During the Spanish Civil War, the palace of Liria was confiscated, and its owner, the 17th Duke of Alba, grandfather of the current Duke Don Carlos Fitz-James Stuart and Martínez de Irujo, moved to London to serve as ambassador. In November 1936, the disastrous war engulfed the palace. Liria was bombed and looted. Only its four facades remained, but the interior losses were heavy. The main artistic works could be saved thanks to the work of the Junta for the Seizure and Protection of Artistic Heritage of the Spanish Republic, an organism created at the beginning of the war to deal with looting and destruction. Most of the painting collection traveled along with the evacuated paintings from the Museo Nacional del Prado, to the headquarters of the League of Nations in Geneva, with a previous stay in Valencia, where its collections were exhibited. While furniture, documents and book cabinets, and other artistic works were kept in different places in Madrid, such as the Bank of Spain, the English embassy or the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, among many other places. The recovery efforts began after the war, lasting more than 15 years. Although most of the painting collection was saved, more than seventy paintings, furniture, lamps, carpets and many other objects were lost in the fire. With regard to the rich document collections, practically the entire administrative archive succumbs to fire, which represented approximately ninety percent of the archive and more than fifty percent of the books in the library.
After the Civil War ended, and after fulfilling his mission at the Spanish embassy in London in 1945, the 17th Duke made the decision to rebuild the palace. To lead this titanic work, he opted for the notable English architect Sir. Edwin Lutyens, famous for his work in the United Kingdom, and especially for the design of the city of New Delhi. To this architect we owe some novel elements of the construction, such as the current main hallway, the staircase or the chapel. Lutyens died in 1944, so he could only work on the plans. The works were carried out by the Spanish architect Manuel Cabanyes, adding some modifications to the plans of his predecessor. The works began in 1948 and ended in 1956, but the death of Don Jacobo three years earlier prevented him from seeing it finished. It was the XVIII Dukes of Alba, Doña Cayetana and Don Luis Martínez de Irujo who, with a lot of effort and dedication, completed and redecorated it. In addition, they expand the collection of paintings, furniture and other decorative elements, enriching the existing collection, but, above all, they restore the Liria Palace to its former splendor. Today it is the residence of the 19th Duke of Alba, Don Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, and headquarters of the Casa de Alba Foundation, and is one of the most important architectural buildings in Madrid, housing one of the most outstanding private art collections in the world.
Historical-Artistic
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The historical-artistic collection was incorporated thanks to the patronage and collecting work of the Dukes of Berwick and Alba for more than five hundred years. The origin of the Liria Palace collections responds to the refined tastes and cultural hobbies of its inhabitants, who sought artistic objects to decorate their palaces. Painting, sculpture, tapestries, furniture, engravings, documents and books, as well as a wide range of porcelain and decorative arts, are distributed throughout the different rooms to be admired by their owners and visitors, allowing them to enjoy a unique collection. Of the complete set, great masters of painting such as Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Zurbarán, Greco, Ribera, Rubens, Tiziano, Palma el Viejo, Brueghel de Velours, Madrazo and Winterhalter stand out. Great personalities from culture, the arts and politics have visited this palace, such as Cole Porter, Arthur Rubinstein, Howard Carter, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Oscar Wilde, Igor Stravinski, Ortega y Gasset and Charlie Chaplin.
Casa de Alba
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Monday to Sunday, including holidays.
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