What has been known since 1836 as the National Library was founded in Madrid by King Philip V late in 1711 and opened its doors in March 1712. It is therefore celebrating the third century of its existence. The building which it now occupies, built by Francisco Jareño, was inaugurated in 1896.
It is one of the most famous buildings of the capital of Spain, situated in the complex surrounding the Plaza de Colón, where countless events have been broadcast throughout the world, such as Eucharistic services celebrated by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Opening into the plaza is the “Paseo de los Recoletos,” the main artery leading to Madrid toward the north, named for the monastery of the Augustinian Recollects, formerly situated on the street, which had been the main headquarters of the Order for several centuries. In fact, the National Library is built precisely on part of the location formerly occupied by the historic monastery. Mention is made of this on two plaques found at the entrance to the main stairway. One states this fact explicitly. The other calls attention to the fact that the noted Augustinian Recollect architect and author, Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolás, once lived there.
Augustinian Recollect Nuns
But this is not the only connection between this cultural institution and the Recollect family. Rather, we must note that the two were associated with each other from the beginning. At first the relationship was with the Augustinian Recollect Nuns, not with the friars, at the Monastery of the Incarnation, next to the Royal Palace.
When King Philip V first established the National Library, he stored the first collections of books in the passageway that led from the palace to the convent. Later the library was moved to other locations, but it returned to the Monastery of the Incarnation in 1835. At that time it occupied the spacious infirmary of the monastery, where it gathered together all the books of the men’s monasteries in Madrid that the government had just suppressed.