Pantheon of Distinguished Men
Pantheon of Distinguished Men
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Pacífico
How to get there
- Menéndez Pelayo • 4 min walk
- Atocha Renfe • 7 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
104 reviews
Excellent
28
Very good
52
Average
17
Poor
6
Terrible
1
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S.S
Seville, Spain70 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
A place not well known outside of Madrid that is very worth it.
It is a mandatory stop to learn more about the contemporary history of our country and see the mauseoleum of many of its protagonists from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Some of these mauseoleums are spectacular, authentic works of art.
Admission is free, it is not a crowded monument and there are guided tours to see it.
Highly recommended
It is a mandatory stop to learn more about the contemporary history of our country and see the mauseoleum of many of its protagonists from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Some of these mauseoleums are spectacular, authentic works of art.
Admission is free, it is not a crowded monument and there are guided tours to see it.
Highly recommended
Written March 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BennyMalaga
Malaga, Spain89,730 contributions
Apr 2011 • Couples
The Pantheon of Illustrious Men is part of the Basilica de Atocha. Several men important in the history of Spain have their pantheons in the building. The widow of King Alfonso XII, Maria Cristina, decided that this mausoleum be built and a contest was held in 1890 to pick the architect. The architect selected was Fernando Arbos y Tremanti. His design was in the Neo-Byzantine style and the building was finished in 1899. A good reason to visit this monument is to see some of the best sculpture from the early 20th century.
Mariano Benlliure was one of the best Spanish sculptors of that time. He built the pantheons for Jose Canalejas, Praxedes Mateo Sagasta, and Eduardo Dato. Jose Canalejas was the prime minister in 1910 but was assassinated in 1912 while he was in office, and the assassination took place in the Puerta del Sol. Praxedes Mateo Sagasta was a prime minister eight times, the last time during the Spanish-American War of 1898. He was blamed for the loss of Spanish colonies as a result of that war. Eduardo Dato served as prime minister three times and was assassinated by anarchists at the Puerta de Alcala in 1921.
Another pantheon was built for Manuel Gutierrez de la Concha, who was the Marques del Duero, and the sculptors were Arturo Melida y Alinari and Elias Martin. Gutierrez was born in Argentina but later came to Spain and became a general and put down the Carlist insurrection. Antonio de los Rios Rosas was a politician and became the President of Congress in 1863. His pantheon was the work of Pedro Estany. Antonio Canovas del Castillo was born in Malaga and became a historian and the President of the Council of Ministers. Unfortunately he was assassinated at a spa in Mondragon, Guipuzcoa, by an Italian anarchist in 1897. His pantheon was created by Agustin Querol in 1906. So many politicians assassinated by anarchists!
Mariano Benlliure was one of the best Spanish sculptors of that time. He built the pantheons for Jose Canalejas, Praxedes Mateo Sagasta, and Eduardo Dato. Jose Canalejas was the prime minister in 1910 but was assassinated in 1912 while he was in office, and the assassination took place in the Puerta del Sol. Praxedes Mateo Sagasta was a prime minister eight times, the last time during the Spanish-American War of 1898. He was blamed for the loss of Spanish colonies as a result of that war. Eduardo Dato served as prime minister three times and was assassinated by anarchists at the Puerta de Alcala in 1921.
Another pantheon was built for Manuel Gutierrez de la Concha, who was the Marques del Duero, and the sculptors were Arturo Melida y Alinari and Elias Martin. Gutierrez was born in Argentina but later came to Spain and became a general and put down the Carlist insurrection. Antonio de los Rios Rosas was a politician and became the President of Congress in 1863. His pantheon was the work of Pedro Estany. Antonio Canovas del Castillo was born in Malaga and became a historian and the President of the Council of Ministers. Unfortunately he was assassinated at a spa in Mondragon, Guipuzcoa, by an Italian anarchist in 1897. His pantheon was created by Agustin Querol in 1906. So many politicians assassinated by anarchists!
Written March 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RocioNathalie
Madrid, Spain28 contributions
Jun 2015
Even though the characters who play tribute to are Spaniards and maybe unknown for foreigners I consider it is deserving to pay tributes to great men who struggle to leave a legacy to the nation and also to admire the great sculptures and architectural beauty.
Mondays are closed and also during siesta time. Quiet and peaceful place, take your camera.
Mondays are closed and also during siesta time. Quiet and peaceful place, take your camera.
Written July 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joshua H
The Hague, The Netherlands48 contributions
Apr 2024 • Solo
I really liked it here and was almost turned off from visiting by all the lackluster reviews here. First of all, it’s free of charge so can’t argue with that. It’s also a couple minutes walking from Atocha station so if you’re using public transport in Madrid, then you’ll be in the area anyways. I loved the Neo Byzantine style architecture and the pastel colors of the mosaics in the ceiling and in the domes. There is a peaceful little courtyard in the middle too. But yeah, you could rush through it in 15 minutes to a half an hour easily. But I don’t see that as a negative at all.
Written April 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MDOGP
Dallas, TX1,224 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
This is a beautiful neo byzantine building close to Atocha. It is dedicated to famous politicians from 19th century Spain. The sculptures are just amazing! The entrance is free for the public.
Written November 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,766 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
The Panteon de Hombres Ilustres as it's name suggests is a pantheon or mausoleum of famous Spaniards (actually, men only!). I suspect that non-spanish people will have a hard time identifying any of the individuals. Nevertheless, all the mausoleums are magnificent.
¿How about some women too?
¿How about some women too?
Written April 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike K
Phoenix, AZ1,283 contributions
Sep 2016 • Couples
This very beautiful Byzantine style building was created next to the Atocha to commemorate politicos unknown to any but Spanish history scholars. A quick perusal of the bios reminds that 19&20th century Spain was a land of turmoil leading to assassination and Civil War. Specialized appeal.
Written November 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BennyMalaga
Malaga, Spain89,730 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
The sculpture found in the Pantheon of Distinguished Men is very good and the best sculptors of Spain worked on them. They are very artistic. It is too bad that few people ever visit this sight because it is impressive.
Written April 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andromeda
10 contributions
Sep 2019
Found it by accident and went inside since I liked the courtyard. Entry is free. However, I was a bit disappointed when I went inside. Did not recognise any names and everything was in Spanish, but the sculptures were nice. Would not recommend to visit, as there are other more interesting places for tourists.
Written December 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia51,995 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
We had a short time to spare and this Pantheon of Distinguished Men was on our way so we entered out of curiosity. There are many sculptures inside and some are quite good. However we did not know any of them and we did not connect with the place. We only spent a limited amount of time looking through very quickly. If you are an art aficionado, then this is probably a good place for you to visit.
Written July 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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