Museum of San Isidro. The Origins of Madrid

This museum space, located in the house where the patron saint of Madrid lived, offers  a journey through the history of the city of Madrid from prehistoric times to the establishment of the Court, through various rooms such as the San Isidro Hall, the Renaissance Courtyard, the Archaeological-Botanical Garden or the Storeroom.

The Museum’s permanent exhibition, spread over more than 600 square metres, covers the archaeological and paleontological heritage of the city of Madrid, revealing over 500,000 years of its history through objects from Madrid’s Palaeolithic and Neolithic cultures, the Metal Age, the Roman remains which appeared in the Manzanares and Jarama valleys, the Islam foundation of city and the development  of the city following its conquest in 1085 until the 16th century.

Following its refurbishment, the museum divides its exhibition into three areas:  “Before Madrid”, in which the prehistoric Roman and Visigothic remains are displayed; “Mayrit/Madrid”, focusing on the city’s foundation by the Muslims, its incorporation in the   Kingdom of Castile and the arrival of the Court of Phillip II; and “San Isidro”, devoted to the Madrid saint and the traditions of his era.  

DON’T MISS: the remains of the original building: a 16th century Renaissance courtyard, the 17th century chapel and the so-called  Miracle Well, in which it is said that the Madrid saint saved his son from drowning.