Plaza de Santa Cruz

Sol

The name comes from the old parish of Santa Cruz, whose medieval fabric occupied the corner of the square with calle de la Bolsa. The parish was founded as a suburban chapel, tied to devotion to the Holy Cross after the Christian victory at Las Navas de Tolosa (1212), and gave its name to the surrounding space from at least the 16th century.

The square already worked as a glass market in the time of Philip II, and in 1621 it grew by pulling down the houses around it. For centuries it was the heart of the Santa Cruz suburb, the neighbourhood that sprang up outside the walls along the road to Atocha. Over all the houses reigned the parish and its tower, known as the “Watchtower of the Court.” At 144 feet tall and topped with a municipal clock, it was the highest tower in the town and lent its popular name to the whole neighbourhood. The demolition of the parish, between 1868 and 1869, opened the square toward the Plaza de la Provincia, presided over by the Palacio de Santa Cruz. Juan Gómez de Mora had raised it as the Court Prison, where the town’s prisoners awaited trial; since 1938 it has housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Its names

  • Plazuela de la Leña16th-17th centuries
  • Plazuela de Santa Cruz17th century
  • Plaza de Santa Cruz18th century-actualidad
Sources (12)

Crossings