The Venues
Royal Basilica of Saint Francis The Great
The Royal Basilica of Saint Francis the Great (Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande) in Madrid stands on a site where, according to tradition, Saint Francis of Assisi founded a humble Franciscan convent in 1217 during his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The current neoclassical structure was commissioned by King Charles III in 1760 to replace the aging medieval convent and was completed in 1784 through the successive work of architects Francisco Cabezas, Antonio Pló, and Francesco Sabatini. It is most renowned for its massive dome—the largest in Spain and the fourth largest in Europe—which spans 33 meters in diameter. Over the centuries, the building has served various roles, including a military barracks during the French occupation and a national pantheon for prominent Spaniards, before being designated a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1963. Today, it is celebrated as both a place of worship and an art gallery, housing exceptional frescoes and paintings by masters such as Francisco Goya and Zurbarán.
Castillo de Batres
Castillo de Batres is a 15th-century fortified palace renowned for its deep connection to Spanish literature. Constructed primarily of brick on flint foundations, the castle served as the ancestral home of the Laso de la Vega family, most notably the celebrated Renaissance poet Garcilaso de la Vega, who spent part of his childhood within its walls and is said to have been inspired by its surrounding landscape.
Before Garcilaso, the castle was the site of exile for the chronicler Hernán Pérez de Guzmán, who wrote his famous work Generaciones y semblanzas while in residence. Architecturally, the fortress blends Gothic defensive elements with elegant Renaissance details, featuring a magnificent 25-meter keep and a Plateresque interior courtyard with double-tiered galleries.