Monumento a Argüelles

On the corner between Paseo de Rosales and Calle de Ferraz (Plaza del Marqués de Cerralbo) stands the monument to Agustín Argüelles, the liberal politician who wrote the first draft of the Constitution of 1821 and promoted numerous reforms in the capital. The original monument, dating from 1902, was the work of the sculptor José Alcoverro y Amorós. The current location is the statues fourth. It first stood at the intersection of Alberto Aguilera and Marqués de Urquijo. From there it was moved in 1967 to the end of Pintor Rosales, to return to the intersection of Princesa and Quintana in 1995. It would probably have remained there if a vehicle had not crashed into it in 2006. The accident caused serious damage to the monument. After its restoration, in 2011, it was decided to put it back in the neighbourhood that bears its name, but in its current location and with a new pedestal because the original was so damaged by the accident that it was considered unrecoverable.

Text and photos by the Chronicler of the City of Madrid Antonio Castro Jiménez