This gate, a true emblem of Madrid, was built to commemorate the arrival of Carlos III as the new king of Spain. Its construction was finished in 1778 in accordance with the project of the architect Francisco de Sabatini, following the rejection of five plans drawn up by the architect Ventura Rodríguez. Sabatini’s gate is conceived as a triumphal arch and was the first to be built as such in the 18th century, in the image of the Parisian ones of Saint Denis and Saint Martin, from the times of Louis XIV.

The materials used are granite and limestone, the latter being reserved for the different ornamental elements: capitals, bases, imposts, trophies, coats of arms and figures. The sculptors involved in making the gate were Robert Michel and Francisco Gutiérrez Arribas.

© Antonello Dellanotte