Claudia+Forte-+Webquest

1. What marks the differences between a civil and a religious building?

The civil buildings were the places where the kings and queens, the court, or rich families lived. The religious buildings were built for praying and worship, some of them were also used for masses, weddings, baptisms or different religious celebrations, others were originally used for studying or as monateries, where the monks lived. Most of the religious buildings were built in honor of a saint.

2. Make a list of the most important civil buildings and another of the most important religious buildings in the city that you still can see today.

Civil buildings: 1- Casa y Torre de los Lujanes 2- Museo de San Isidro 3- La Plaza Mayor 4- Palacio de los Consejos

Religious buildings: 1- Iglesia de San Pedro el Viejo 2- Capilla de San Isidro 3- Parish of San Miguel 4- Capilla del Obispo 5- Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real 6- Parroquia de San Ginés

Answer the following questions for each of the buildings that you mention in your list:

3. What function did the civil buildings have? What were they used for?

The civil buildings were built as the residence for rich families of merchants, for kings, or for the court.

- Casa y Torre de los Lujanes: It was the house where the family of the Lujanes used to live. - Museo de San Isidro: It was built for the family of the Lujanes as their house. They used it for weddings or political events. - La Plaza Mayor: It was built for public events, such as bullfighting, public executions, or "faith acts" where the Inquisition showed its power. It was also used as a street market, where people put their shops. - Palacio de los Consejos: At first it was built as the house for the Dukes of Uceda, but their son died, so they didn't see it finished, so it was used by the Royal Treasury, and as the residence of people from the court, or anyone who was linked to the king.

4. What function did the religious buildings have? What were they used for?

The religious buildings were built for praying, giving masses or worshiping the remainds of a saint.

- Iglesia de San Pedro el Viejo: It was used for praying and to give the masses. - Capilla de San Isidro: It was built to keep the rests of San Isidro, so then people could go and pray for him. - Parish of San Miguel: It was built for the Spanish martyrs, it was used for praying worship, and giving masses. - Capilla del Obispo: It was built to keep the rests of San Isidro Labrador, so that way people could go to worship his remainds. - Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real: The monastery was built for the monks, although the Catholic Monarchs kept it as their residence, so the monks were moved to another convent. Anyway, only the church remainds, which was used for praying, and for giving masses. - Parroquia de San Ginés: It was built for the people in the Arenal street, so that they could have a place to pray.

5. Who ordered and paid for the construction of the civil buildings? Why?

- Casa y Torre de los Lujanes: Álvaro Lujan ordered its construction, he was a rich merchant, part of the family of the Lujanes. Because he wanted to live in Madrid. -Museo de San Isidro: The Lujan Family ordered the construction of this building, because they wanted a house in the middle of the city, as that showed their wealthy, as only a few very rich families could lived in the centre. - La Plaza Mayor: Philip II ordered its construction because it was the place where all the trading roads finished, so it was a very crowded place. - Palacio de los Consejos: Christopher Gómez de Sandoval-Rojas, the Duke of Uceda, Philip III valido, ordered its construction, to use it as their residence.

6. Who ordered and paid for the contruction of the religious buildings? Why?

- Iglesia de San Pedro el Viejo: Its construction was orderer by the archbishop of Brindis, Lorenzo Reinoso. - Capilla de San Isidro: As it is very old we can't know who ordered its construction,but we know that it was mainly paid by the viceroyalties of Peru and Mexico. It was later rebuilt. - Parish of San Miguel: Luis Jaime of Bourbon and Farnesio, archbishop of Toledo ordered its construstion. It was built for the Spanish martyrs. - Capilla del Obispo: It was ordered by king Alfonso VIII. Because they needed a place to keep the rests of San Isidro Labrador. - Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real: Enrique IV ordered its construction, and it was moved to Madrid with the consentiment of the Catholic Monarchs. Anyway, only the Church remainds. Because they wanted to build a monastery for the monks. - Parroquia de San Ginés: The inhabitants of the Arenal street needed a palce to pray, so Jose Luis Marín ordered its construction.

Considering the buildings you have studied write an small composition (20 lines) in which you explain:

1. In what ways was society organized in Madrid during the Modern Age? 2. What did the people who built the buildings hope to show with their structures? 3. What role did religion play in 16th and 17th century society? W​as it a private and and personal matter? Or was it related with social status?

During the Modern Age society was organized in the Feudal System, as in the Middle Ages, it consisted on three different estates: the clergy, the nobles and the peasants. The clergy and the nobles were privileged estates, which meant that they held the higher positions in politics, and in society, and they didn’t have to pay taxes. But the peasants did have to pay taxes and weren’t privileged. With this kind of divided society the status of the people was really highlighted and the ones who had money, specially the nobles and the clergy, wanted to show their wealthy and that they were “above” the rest of the people. The clergy were especially powerful. Just having a religious title was something that situated you in a higher social estate. That meant that you were wealthier than current people. And they wanted to show it, starting by their buildings, their houses or even their churches. The civil buildings, such as the residences of rich families, the kings and members of the Court, were huge buildings, palaces with lots of rooms. These buildings were built with expensive and “elegant” materials, with many figures, statues, and decorations all over them. The religious buildings, such as churches or monasteries, were similar to the civil ones, for example, the Monastery of San Jerónimo el Real was used at first for the monks, but then the Royal family wanted to use it as their house, where they could rest, and expend their free time. With this example I wanted to remark the quality of the monasteries, as they were even used by the Royal Family. Churches were as all the buildings mentioned. They were very ostentatious with big frescos or statues, they were huge, with tall towers and vaults. Most of the churches in Madrid that were built during the reign of the Austrian Kings were paid and its construction was ordered by kings or rich and influent people, such as archbishops or rich families. In this way, with these exaggerated churches, religion was not a private matter but showing your devotion to everyone was sociable accepted. Specially speaking about privileged people who could go to the church with their best dressings, where everyone could look at them and see how wealthy they were.