The Royal Palace of Madrid is expanding its accessible footprint, granting the public access to two previously closed chambers that house some of the most intricate treasures of the Spanish monarchy. The Relicario and the Anterrelicario of the Royal Chapel, which underwent a comprehensive process of conditioning and redecoration, officially opened to visitors on March 17.
These new additions to the tourist circuit allow guests to explore a denser concentration of the Royal Collections, specifically focusing on high-value artistic pieces including religious paintings, precious metalwork, and rare furniture. The opening marks a continuing effort to produce the vast complex—one of the largest in Europe—more permeable to the public.
The new rooms are positioned within the north wing of the Gallery of the Prince’s Courtyard. Visitors can now view the contents of these spaces both from within the chapel itself and through designated windows located near the entrance, providing a new perspective on the palace’s spiritual and artistic heart.
The Artistic Treasures of the Relicario and Anterrelicario
The Relicario serves as a curated display of silverwork, housed within a mahogany display cabinet dating from the late 18th century. The centerpiece of the room is a silver relief depicting The Encounter of Attila and Pope Leo the Great at the Gates of Rome. This piece is a 1659 copy of the original relief by Alessandro Algardi, which is located in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.
Adjacent to this is the Anterrelicario, which functions as a repository for religious art and liturgical objects. This space is characterized by a diverse array of silver and stone reliefs, holy water fonts, and relic containers. The room is particularly notable for its collection of religious paintings, featuring works by several masters of the Baroque and Renaissance eras, including:
- Luca Giordano and Francesco de Mura, bringing the influence of Italian masters.
- Luis de Morales and Luis Tristán, representing the depth of Spanish spiritual art.
- Juan Massip and Juan Vicente Masip, contributing to the palace’s diverse stylistic range.
Adding to the historical weight of the Anterrelicario is a 19th-century Italian model of the Basilica of St. Peter, providing a architectural counterpoint to the silver relief found in the neighboring Relicario.
A Legacy of Fire and Reconstruction
To understand the significance of these rooms, the scale of the Palacio Real. The current structure, a masterpiece of Baroque Classicism, was not the first building to stand on this site. The location’s history begins with the Emir Mohamed I, who constructed an alcazaba to defend Toledo against Christian advances. Over centuries, this evolved into the Antiguo Alcázar, which served as a permanent residence for monarchs such as Carlos I and Felipe II.
The trajectory of the site changed forever in 1734, when a devastating fire destroyed the old Alcázar. In the wake of the disaster, Felipe V commissioned the construction of the current palace. The project took seventeen years to complete and drew heavy inspiration from the sketches Gian Lorenzo Bernini had originally created for the Louvre in Paris.
The resulting edifice is an architectural behemoth containing more than 3,000 rooms. While the majority of these remain closed to the general public for preservation and official use, the palace maintains a curated path through its most storied halls. This includes the Sabatini-designed Main Staircase, the Throne Room with its ceiling frescoes by Tiépolo, and the Royal Pharmacy, which still preserves the medicinal recipes once dispensed to the Royal Family.
Key Highlights of the Palace Complex
| Room/Area | Notable Feature | Artist/Architect |
|---|---|---|
| Main Staircase | Grand architectural entrance | Francesco Sabatini |
| Throne Room | Ornate ceiling frescoes | Giambattista Tiépolo |
| Royal Chapel | Stradivarius string instruments | Antonio Stradivari |
| Relicario | Silver relief of Attila and Pope Leo | Copy of Algardi (1659) |
The Impact of Increased Public Access
The decision to open the Relicario and Anterrelicario is more than a simple addition to a tour; it is part of a broader strategy by the Spanish royal heritage authorities to balance the preservation of sensitive artifacts with the demand for cultural transparency. Because these rooms contain delicate silver and oil paintings, the “conditioning and redecoration” process mentioned in the opening was essential to ensure that humidity and light levels do not degrade the materials.
For the visitor, this means a more intimate encounter with the “hidden” side of the monarchy—the intersection of faith, art, and political power. The presence of the Vatican-inspired reliefs and the Italian models underscores the historical link between the Spanish Crown and the Papacy, illustrating how the palace functioned not just as a home, but as a diplomatic and spiritual statement.
As the palace continues to manage its 3,000+ rooms, the gradual release of these “hidden” spaces allows for a more sustainable flow of tourism, spreading visitors across different wings of the building and reducing congestion in the more famous salons.
The Royal Palace of Madrid continues to update its visiting protocols and exhibition schedules via its official portal. Future updates regarding the opening of further restricted areas or temporary exhibitions are typically announced through the Patrimonio Nacional office.
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