Ordoño 1º, Madrid

Ordoño I is one of the stone royal statues lining Plaza de Oriente in Madrid, right beside the Royal Palace in the Palacio district. The figure represents Ordoño I, a ninth-century king of Asturias, and stands alongside dozens of other monarchs in what has become known as the square's "gallery of kings."

Where did these statues come from?

The series of stone royal figures was commissioned in the mid-18th century under Charles III. The carving itself took place between 1750 and 1753, with dozens of craftsmen working under the direction of Olivieri and Castro, following an iconographic program devised by the Benedictine scholar Fray Martín Sarmiento, who decided which king would be depicted where and how. The architect Francesco Sabatini, best known for his work on the nearby palace, oversaw the whole undertaking.

The statues were originally meant to crown the roofline of the Royal Palace — which is why cheap, soft stone was used, and why so many faces are now badly worn by time and weather. The plan never went ahead: Queen Mother Elisabeth Farnese reportedly had a nightmare in which one of the statues collapsed and killed her in her sleep. Convinced by her fears, Charles III shelved the installation, and the finished sculptures spent decades in palace basements and storerooms instead.

How did the statue end up here?

The stone kings sat hidden for nearly a century. It wasn't until the reign of Isabella II, in 1842, that some of them were restored by Francisco Elías and José Tomás and then distributed around Madrid to beautify the city — Plaza de Oriente among the destinations. They were first arranged in a circle around the equestrian statue of Philip IV; the current layout of two parallel rows of ten figures dates from 1941. Ordoño I stands in that lineup, a short walk from the entrance to the Royal Palace.

Who was the king shown in this statue?

Ordoño I ruled the Kingdom of Asturias from 850 to 866, succeeding his father, Ramiro I. He continued the policy of resettling and repopulating territory reclaimed in the north, rebuilding towns such as León, Astorga, Tuy, and Amaya — part of the broader process later called the Reconquista. His reign also had to contend with internal revolts, including uprisings by the Basques and local nobility in Álava, as well as Viking raids along the Iberian coast. He died in 866 and was succeeded by his son, Alfonso III, later known as "the Great."

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Plaza de Oriente is one of Madrid's grandest squares, framed by the Royal Palace, the Teatro Real opera house, and elegant gardens and cafés. It's worth walking the full line of statues to see the other monarchs from the same series, and stopping at the central equestrian monument to Philip IV.

Frequently asked questions

Did the statue of Ordoño I originally stand somewhere else? Yes. Along with the rest of the series, it spent decades in storage at the Royal Palace, because the original plan to place the statues on the palace roof was never carried out. It arrived at Plaza de Oriente in the 19th century, and the current row arrangement dates from 1941.

Who was Ordoño I, and did he actually rule over Madrid? Ordoño I was king of Asturias from 850 to 866 — not a ruler of Madrid, which was still under Muslim control at the time. The statue is part of a symbolic gallery of Spanish monarchs rather than a monument tied to the city itself.

What material is the statue made of? Like most of the figures in this series, it was carved from soft, relatively inexpensive stone, which explains the visible erosion on the facial features today.

Is there an entrance fee for Plaza de Oriente? No, the square is a public open space, free to visit year-round, and so is the walk past all of the royal statues.