| The idea of having a
large square with porticoes, which would regulate trade and draw the
citizens together, was first started in the reign of Felipe II. However,
it was in 1617, in the reign of Felipe III, that Juan Gomez de Mora
designed the square as a 120 m by 94 m rectangle, with 477 balconies,
although several fires meant that the final structure was only completed
at the end of the 18th century by the architect Juan de Villanueva.
The square was in daily use as the only place where a market was held
in the city, and it had been a market place since mediaeval times
when the square was known as Arrabal Square, because it was outside
the walls. One of the most important buildings in the square is the
Bakery, which as a sign of the power of the throne, was used exclusively
by the Royal Family to watch any event that took place in the square. |