Museum Cerralbo, Madrid, Spain - SpottingHistory.com

The Museum Cerralbo houses the art and historical objects collections of Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, Marquis of Cerralbo, who died in 1922.

The museum, which is housed in the former residence of its founder, opened in 1944. The building was built in the 19th century, according to Italian taste, and it was luxuriously decorated with baroque furniture, wall paintings and expensive chandeliers. It retains to a large extent its original aesthetics.

The museum features an interesting collection of paintings, archaeology and furniture, including works by Jacopo Tintoretto, Jacopo Palma the Younger, El Greco, Ludovico Carracci, Alonso Cano, Zurbarán, Luis Paret and many more.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Tiff Travelstheworld (2 years ago)
Amazing! Aristocracy at its best. Hard to find through the construction but FIND IT! HIDDEN GEM! GOT IN FREE LUCKY ME!

Katya Rolfson (2 years ago)
This museum is BEAUTIFUL! It was so interesting to see the house set up like it was in the late 1800s, with the original art and furnishings. There was one section of the museum that had a modern exhibit but it paled in comparison to everything else. Truly spectacular and free until the end of September!

Abel Mauricio Peña Vélez (2 years ago)
What an amazing museum! The way the house has been preserved gives a unique opportunity to get a window into the past and see up close one of the most incredible art collections in Spain. It can be overwhelming with the vast amount of pieces there are. Sculptures, paintings, vases, tapestries, furniture and everything else in between. This is definitely a MUST do when you are in Madrid.

yasmine (2 years ago)
Just magnificent, I was awed by the beauty of the place... In my opinion, it is one of the must sees in Madrid. The staff is also incredibly nice !

Codrin Valentin Rusu (3 years ago)
You have to visit it if you want to see how was to live in 19th century. Worth it.

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The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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