Fernando 1º

Fernando 1º is one of the stone figures standing near the Palacio Real in Madrid — a monument portraying an early king of Castile, part of a much larger set of statues of Spanish monarchs placed around the royal palace.

Who does the statue represent?

The figure depicts Fernando I, one of the early rulers of Castile, whose likeness was included in a sweeping eighteenth-century project to carve a long line of Spanish monarchs, starting with the Visigothic kings and running all the way to Fernando VI. Popularly known as the "Reyes Godos" (Gothic Kings) series, the collection eventually grew to more than a hundred statues, meant to cover rulers from Ataulf onward through the era of the Reconquista, and even figures from overseas territories such as the Aztec emperor Moctezuma and the Inca ruler Atahualpa.

Why is it standing here rather than on the palace roof it was made for?

The statue's backstory is anything but ordinary. The whole project began in 1743, under the reign of Fernando VI, at the suggestion of the Benedictine monk Martín Sarmiento, who proposed a series of statues to crown the cornice of the Royal Palace. A team of sculptors led by Juan Domingo Olivieri and Felipe de Castro carried out the work, with Luis Salvador Carmona among those responsible for individual figures carved between 1750 and 1753. Once the statues were finished, though, it became clear their combined weight would put too much strain on the palace roof. The plan to crown the building with a hundred stone monarchs was abandoned, and the finished sculptures spent decades sitting in storage in the palace basements.

How did the statue end up where it stands now?

The statues' fortunes changed in the nineteenth century, when Queen Isabel II decided they should no longer sit forgotten underground. She ordered them distributed across Madrid and other Spanish cities — some went to the Plaza de Oriente right next to the palace, others to Retiro Park or the Sabatini Gardens beside the Royal Palace. The coordinates linked to the Fernando I statue point to precisely this stretch around the Palacio Real, where the sculptures finally became a visible part of the cityscape, even if they never fulfilled the role they were originally carved for.

What's worth knowing while looking at the statue?

The figure doesn't stand alone — it's one of dozens of similar statues placed within a few hundred meters of the palace. Walking through the Plaza de Oriente and the surrounding gardens turns into something of a stroll past a gallery of stone monarchs, each with its own place in the chronology of Spanish rulers. Fernando I represents the oldest, semi-legendary end of that story, from the period when Castile was still taking shape as a kingdom in its own right.

How do you get there?

The area around the Palacio Real is one of the best-connected spots in central Madrid — the closest metro stations are Ópera and Plaza de España, and the whole stretch between the palace, the Plaza de Oriente, and the neighboring gardens can be covered on foot in a few minutes. It fits naturally into a visit that also includes the palace itself and the nearby Almudena Cathedral.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Fernando I, the king shown in the statue? He was one of the early rulers of Castile, included in an eighteenth-century series of statues of Spanish monarchs commissioned for the Royal Palace.

Who made the statue? The statues in this series, likely including this figure, were carved between 1750 and 1753 under the direction of Juan Domingo Olivieri and Felipe de Castro, with sculptor Luis Salvador Carmona among the team.

Why isn't the statue on the palace roof it was originally meant for? The combined weight of the statue series turned out to be a structural risk for the palace roof, so the plan to crown the building with them was never carried out.

Where exactly can it be found? The statue stands right next to the Palacio Real in Madrid, among other statues from the same series placed around the palace grounds.