San Isidro Museum (Madrid)
The San Isidro Museum, also called Origins of Madrid, is a pedagogical museum focused on disseminating the history of Madrid from prehistoric times to the establishment of the court in the 16th century. It does this through models, archaeological pieces, artifacts and engravings.
Inaugurated in 2000, the San Isidro Museum occupies a building called House of San Isidro, which was built in 1972 on the ruins of a 16th-century palace that belonged to the wealthy Lujanes family, following the form of the original design as faithfully as possible.
The museum has four exhibition areas, each of them clearly differentiated into specific historical periods.
The first covers the Lower Palaeolithic period, represented by fossils of mastodons, aurochs and mammoths—the remains of what was the lithic industry of the original settlers of the Manzanares Valley approximately half a million years ago until the beginnings of agriculture.
The second area focuses on the subsequent development of agriculture and ceramics corresponding to the Bronze Age. The third area focuses on Madrid's role in the Roman Empire, with exhibits including ceramics, sculptures and glass pieces from the Roman villas in Manzanares.
The last area focuses on the Madrid of Muslim Spain and the later Reconquest, showing the ruins of the old fortress, samples of pottery and magnificent models of what the city looked like.
The San Isidro Museum has an impressive collection that exceeds 300,000 pieces, relics and artifacts. Of these, almost 2,000 are exhibited in its exhibition areas; the rest are housed in its study collections.
Inaugurated in 2000, the San Isidro Museum occupies a building called House of San Isidro, which was built in 1972 on the ruins of a 16th-century palace that belonged to the wealthy Lujanes family, following the form of the original design as faithfully as possible.
The museum has four exhibition areas, each of them clearly differentiated into specific historical periods.
The first covers the Lower Palaeolithic period, represented by fossils of mastodons, aurochs and mammoths—the remains of what was the lithic industry of the original settlers of the Manzanares Valley approximately half a million years ago until the beginnings of agriculture.
The second area focuses on the subsequent development of agriculture and ceramics corresponding to the Bronze Age. The third area focuses on Madrid's role in the Roman Empire, with exhibits including ceramics, sculptures and glass pieces from the Roman villas in Manzanares.
The last area focuses on the Madrid of Muslim Spain and the later Reconquest, showing the ruins of the old fortress, samples of pottery and magnificent models of what the city looked like.
The San Isidro Museum has an impressive collection that exceeds 300,000 pieces, relics and artifacts. Of these, almost 2,000 are exhibited in its exhibition areas; the rest are housed in its study collections.
Location
Museums in Madrid
Civil Buildings in Madrid
Religious Buildings in Madrid
