El cuartel de la Montelón

In the centre of the Plaza del 2 de Mayo stands a monumental ensemble that commemorates two of the heroes of the uprising against the French in 1808: Daoiz and Velarde. The sculpture of the two is located in front of an arch that gave access to the Montelón barracks. The sculptural group was the work of the artist Antonio de Solá, who made it in Rome in 1822. It has had several locations. It was first in the Prado Museum, from where it was taken to the parterre of the Retiro. From there, after another brief stay at the Prado, it was moved to the confluence of Carranza and Ruiz streets, near the current location. It would still be taken to the Plaza de Moncloa until, in 1932, it was installed in the heart of Malasaña.

Text and photos by Antonio Castro Jiménez, Chronicler of the Villa de Madrid.