Madrid, Spain - Three Weathervanes over the Old City Hall for Weathervane Wednesday

 

Like many cities, Madrid, Spain has a city hall, and an old city hall known as "Casa de la Villa".  This building was planned by King Phillip IV in 1629, and building commenced in 1644 and was not complete until 1692. There are several square towers, and a clock tower with spires.  Above all this elegance are three weathervanes and many finials shaped like crosses. The buildings are in a medieval Spanish style called mudejar, which was inspired by the Muslims.  In 2007 the city moved its official offices to the Cibeles Palace.  

These weathervanes are simple banners, in a cutout style often seen in the old part of Madrid. It looks like filigree, and the finials are often similar with crosses. 

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia Casa de la Villa:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_la_Villa_(Madrid)  

From the Madrid tourism information website:   https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/casa-de-la-villa 

Click here to see over 550 weathervanes from all around the world: 

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Madrid, Spain - Three Weathervanes over the Old City Hall for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 1, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/madrid-spain-three-weathervanes-over.html: accessed [access date]).  

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

 Happy Birthday to Vincent!  

This is one of my favorite photos of Vincent and his Mom, Maria Josefa Garcia de Rojo.  She married in Madrid, Spain, removed to New York City a few weeks later (Vincent's Dad worked at the United Nations), and ten months later gave birth to Vincent.  I can't imagine being a newlywed young woman, a new immigrant to a strange country, and a new Mom all in the same year, can you? 

Maria Josefa died about two years ago, and we miss her very much.  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy Birthday, Vincent!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 16, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/11/happy-birthday-vincent.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Matadero in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed at the Matadero in Madrid, Spain.  It is located at the Plaza de Chopera in the Arganzuela neighborhood. The weathervane is above the Cultural Center Casa de Reloj. 

The Matadero cultural center in Madrid is a former slaughterhouse, previously called El Matadero y Mercado Municipal de Ganados. It was built in 1925 and closed in 1996.  It reopened as a cultural and arts center in 2006.  There are buildings for the visual arts, concerts, archives, theaters, expositions, and more. We attended an exhibit on the Titanic disaster there in September 2024.  That's when we spotted this banner style weathervane on the tower of the Casa del Reloj.

The Casa del Reloj (The Clock House) is at the far end of the Matadero.  It was the former central services pavilion for the slaughterhouse, but now it provides services for a retirement home for senior citizens.  It has 2 exhibition halls, a large auditorium, and 14 classrooms. 

For the truly curious:

Matadero Madrid at Wikipedia (English)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matadero_Madrid  

Click here to see almost 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts from New England and around the world:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Matadero in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 18, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-matadero-in-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

At the Royal Palace of Aranjuez for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, outside of Madrid, Spain. 

This gilded weathervane is above the palace at Aranjuez.  The banner style weathervane revolves under a gilded cross. 

This royal residence was originally a hunting lodge for Philip II.  It has been expanded, remodeled, and rebuilt many times over the years, and suffered extensive damage by a fire in 1748.  There are many luxurious Baroque style rooms inside, including a ballroom, a throne room, a music room and a billiard room. The "Gabinete de Porcelana" or Porcelain Room is the most famous.  It is completely covered with porcelain with a marble floor.  

This palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.  It is open to the public, including the extensive gardens and grounds. 

The famous Porcelain Room 

For the truly curious:

Patrimonio Nacional Royal Palace of Aranjuez website:   https://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/visita/royal-palace-aranjuez    

Click here to see almost 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts from New England and around the world:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "At the Royal Palace of Aranjuez for Weathervane Wednesday", posted December 11, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/12/at-royal-palace-of-aranjuez-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday

 Today's "tombstone" was photographed at the Cementerio Sur in Madrid, Spain.

MARIA JOSEFA

GARCIA MARTIN

*8-7-1934

+11-10-2023

TU HIJO NIETA

Y FAMILIA

NO TE OLVIDAN

D.E.P

(English translation)

MARIA JOSEFA 

GARCIA MARTIN

BORN 8 JULY 1934

DIED 11 OCTOBER 2023

YOUR SON, GRANDDAUGHTER

AND FAMILY

WILL NOT FORGET YOU

R.I.P.

[REST IN PEACE]

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin is my mother-in-law, who died a few months ago in Madrid, Spain. Everything about her final days was a strange experience to me.  Her home care, her hospital care, her funeral arrangements, her final resting place, and the legal bureaucracy of settling her estate in a foreign country were overwhelming not just emotionally, but also physically exhausting.  We finally were able to see her "tombstone" when we visited Madrid for her funeral mass.

In Spain, and in many European countries, the deceased is laid out for visitation (velatorio) at a tanatorio within a few hours of death, and buried the next morning. The remains are not embalmed.  There is no delay, and the funeral mass (for Catholics) is held a month later in the church. The tanatorio funeral director arranges for all the legal paperwork and for the burial place. 

There are several very large public cemeteries in Madrid, and the public tanatorios are enormous, handling dozens of funerals at the same time. It is an amazingly quick and streamlined process.  Cremations are not common, but are available. Usually just close friends and family attend the velatorio, and attendance at the mass held later is much higher.  For Maria, friends and family from all over Spain came to Madrid for her funeral mass in December at the neighborhood Catholic church.  

Cemeteries are completely different in Spain from cemeteries in New England, especially in the urban areas.  Most people in Spain have insurance which pays for the funeral and final expenses including a gravesite or niche in a columbarium.  Niches are by far the most popular, since family gravesites are rare and expensive.  Niches are rented in five or ten year increments, or even rented for 100 years.  At the end of the rental agreement you may extend the rental or the body is exhumed, the niche is cleaned out and rented again. Since the body was not embalmed, there may only be bones. These remains are reburied in a common burial ground or ossuary. 

If an American dies abroad, the US Embassy can provide a CRODA certificate, which serves as a death certificate along with the Spanish death certificate. A CRODA certificate will help with settling the estate and legal matters back in the United States, such as social security or life insurance, and it is neccessary if the remains are being taken back to the US (including cremains).  CRODA is a Consular Report of a Death Abroad.  The embassy staff in Madrid was very helpful to us both when Vincent's mom died, and also years ago when his father died and we had to bring his ashes back to the United States. 

You can see that the columbarium at the Cemeterio Sur had walls four niches high.  Rolling ladders were available for placing flowers.  Vincent bought some poinsettias and left them at his mother's niche.  

A little bit of genealogy: 

Maria Josefa Garcia, born 8 July 1934 in Orbaiceta, Navarra, Spain and died 11 October 2023 in Madrid, Spain.  She married Vicente Rojo, son of Moises Rojo and Anacleta Benito, on 9 January 1960 in Madrid.  

Generation 1:  Jose Garcia, born 28 November 1908 in Bouza, Salamanca, Spain and died 3 December 1994 in Madrid, Spain, married on 8 September 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain to Maria Consuelo Martin, born 11 November 1908 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 29 April 2001 in Madrid.  

Generation 2:  Sebastian Garcia, born 6 May 1878 in Fraga, Huesca, Spain, and died 22 June 1962 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married on 9 April 1902 to Maria Ribero, born 4 June 1873 and died 21 January 1944.

Manuel Martin, born about 1880 in Barcelona, Spain and died 10 September 1971 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo to Josefa Rivero, born 23 October 1884 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo. 

Generation 3: Celestino Garcia, born 25 May 1851 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 11 February 1914, married on 1 December 1877 in Barba de Puerco to Joaquina Munoz, born 30 September 1858 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, and died 2 December 1893 in San Vicente, Badajoz, Spain.

Vanancio Ribero married Rosalia Montero on 11 June 1856 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain.

Mateo Martin,  born in Vitigudino, Salamanca, Spain married Manuel Ventura.

Manuel Rivero, born 24 December 1850 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married Ofofila Gonzalez, born 17 January 1849 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain

Generation 4: Juan Antonio Garcia, born 8 March 1825 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married Ramona Espinazo, born 15 June 1820 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca Spain.

Bernardino Munoz married Ynes Zato, born 23 April 1834 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain. 

Ambrosio Ribero married in 1813 to Ynes Martin

Antonio Montero, born 21 November 1809 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 31 December 1845 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married to Catalina Espinazo, born 25 November 1806 in Barba de Puerco. 

For the truly curious:

Consular Report of a Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad:   https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/death-abroad1/consular-report-of-death-of-a-u-s--citizen-abroad.html   

Cementerio Sur Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain   https://sfmadrid.es/cementerio/cementerio-sur-carabanchel  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/01/maria-josefa-garcia-martin-madrid-spain.html: accessed [access code]). 

Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was spotted above the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain.  There are three identical weathervanes on the two spires and the main dome above this cathedral.  

The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena is opposite the Royal Palace.  It is not as ancient as many other cathedrals in Spain.  Construction was started in 1883 and it took 100 years to complete. It was dedicated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.  The royal crypt inside contains many members of King Felipe VI's family and the nobility.  The king was married in this cathedral, too.  

We were visiting the Royal Collections Gallery museum when we spotted these weathervanes.  This museum is brand new, and it just opened this year. There was a fantastic special exhibit of royal transportation vehicles, including many royal coaches and several early automobiles.  There is also a museum inside the cathedral. 

The weathervanes above the cathedral are very simple.  The large vane is a simple banner with the initial MA for Maria Almudena.  There is an elaborate scroll work cross above the vane, and a gilded ball below. 

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia Almudena Cathedral- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almudena_Cathedral   

Other Madrid weathervanes featured at this blog:

Madrid Air Museum -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/madrid-spain-air-museum-for-weathervane.html  

Our Lady of the Angels, Madrid -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-church-in-madrid-for-weathervane.html   

Gas Station, Madrid -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-gas-station-in-madrid-spain-for.html  

San Antonio, Madrid-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/weathervane-wednesday-family-church-in.html  

San Jeronimo, Madrid-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/weathervane-wednesday-7-headed-dragon.html  

Click here to see over 500 more Weathervane Wednesday posts!   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 3, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/01/almudena-cathedral-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain

 

Cleaning out a home after a death is a sad and nostalgic task.  When my mother-in-law recently passed away in Spain, we had to sort out everything in her apartment. We had to give away or throw away many item.  My husband brought home only a few items from her apartment.  He was not able to bring much because he could only bring what fit in his suitcases (and he paid for two extra suitcases). Some of those items were fragile (crystal glasses) and some were heavy (books) that needed padding so they wouldn't shift or break, so he wrapped them in the heirloom linens we found in the closet. Several generations of my mother-in-law's family owned this apartment. 

It turns out that these linens were quite beautiful, but a bit dingy from being stored a long time. Some looked brand new as if they were never used. I think the dry climate in Spain helped preserve them from mold or mildew spots.  I researched a bit on how to restore these handmade, delicate items.  We decided that we were probably going to use some of them, but my daughter and I didn't want all of them. Here is what I did to clean and store them:

The advice was to not use anything harsh like bleach or detergent.  I soaked them for several days in a bathtub filled with warm water and Oxy-clean.  This brightened up the linens and was not caustic.  Most of them were not stained, fortunately, just dingy from storage. The water turned yellow from the years of dust, so I changed the water daily that the linens were soaking in.   

To rinse them I used the hand held shower wand in the bathroom with warm water, and then put them through the short rinse only cycle in the washing machine.  This step would be skipped if the items were especially fragile, but most of what we had was in excellent shape and quite sturdy, even though we figured some of them were over 100 years old. 

Some of the items like tablecloths and bedding I ironed on medium heat while they were still damp.  They came out beautiful. This step could be skipped for very delicate items, or lacy doilies. 

An embroidered hanky!

Lace and crocheted items were air dried, some flat, and some on a drying rack

A very delicate hanky!  It was so fine you could see through it! 

An embroidered bedsheet

I spent several days washing, sorting, rinsing, drying and ironing dozens of pillow cases, napkins, bedding, and tablecloths.  I decided to keep only a few.  I really don't want these items to just end up stored in a closet for another 100 years.  I'm keeping just what I will use - a few hankies, some beautiful napkins, and some smaller items.  The rest I will share with my daughter, and then we will give away or sell the rest. I know that linens are not valuable or costly, but it seems a shame to just toss them or continue storing them.  

Here is the mystery. Some of the items are embroidered with "C M", which was my husband's grandmother's monogram - Maria Consuelo Martin (1908 - 2001) she was married in 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, so she probably made a lot of these before her marriage. Her mother was Josefa Rivero (1884 - 1937), married in 1904 also in Villar de Ciervo, and some of these items came from her marriage.  There are also sheets and pillowcases with a mystery monogram (see below).  Maybe this is not a monogram?  Is it just an abstract design? Perhaps it is a design for the letter "G", which was Consuelo's husband (Jose Garcia (1908-1954))?  It could be an "S" for Jose's father Sebastian Garcia (1878-1962)? 

Temporary storage for the clean linens.

For long term storage I would recommend acid free materials. 

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 24, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/10/several-generations-of-linens-and-lace.html: accessed [access date]). 

Madrid, Spain Air Museum for Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was photographed at the Madrid Air Museum in Spain. 

The Madrid Air Museum, also known as the Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is near Madrid at the Cuatro Vientos Air Base.  The museum was founded in 1975, and inaugurated in 1981.  There are over 200 aircraft on display with 7 hangars.  

My husband went to visit this museum with his cousin and took a photo of the weathervane atop one of the hangars.  It is an unusual two dimensional weathervane of two military aircraft in silhouette.  There are no cardinal points on the weathervane.  It is a very tiny weathervane, and difficult to see from the ground. 

For the truly curious:

Madrid Air Museum website in English:  https://ejercitodelaire.defensa.gob.es/EA/museodelaire/en.html   

Wikipedia article on the Madrid Air Museum:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Aeronautics_and_Astronautics_(Madrid)  

Click here to see 500 more Weathervane Wednesday posts:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Madrid, Spain Air Museum for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 30, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/madrid-spain-air-museum-for-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Church in Madrid for Weathervane Wednesday

This church was photographed at 93 Calle de Bravo Murillo in Madrid, Spain.

 

This is the weathervane above the bell tower of the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels) in Madrid, Spain.  It is a short walk from Cuatro Caminos.  This church was built in 1892, and the interior has 8 chapels.  The weathervane is a banner style, very traditional, with a fancy scrolled finial shaped like a Christian cross. It looks like there is a grounding wire running from the top of the finial down to the church, making this also a lightning rod.  (Can anyone confirm this?)

For the truly curious:

Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles: La historia parroquia de Cuatro Caminos, from the ABC Madrid newspaper website, published 19 March 2022:  https://www.abc.es/espana/madrid/abci-nuestra-senora-angeles-historica-parroquia-cuatro-caminos-202203190005_noticia.html  

Click here to see over 500 more weathervanes featured at "Weathervane Wednesday":  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Church in Madrid for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 9, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-church-in-madrid-for-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]).  

A Gas Station in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 This gas station is located at 229 Calle de Bravo Murillo, Madrid, Spain

This little gas station is located on the corner of Calle de Lope de Haro and Calle de Bravo Murillo in Madrid, Spain. My husband spotted this while out walking in Madrid recently. The weathervane is not visible from Bravo Murillo, the main boulevard, but if you turn down Calle de Lope de Haro and then turn around and look back you will see this old weathervane.  It is a simple two dimensional silhouette of an old sedan, probably dating back decades to when there was a much smaller gas station on this corner. There are no cardinal points on this weathervanes, and no evidence that there ever were any on the post.  Now the big red canopy blocks the view of the weathervane from pedestrians. 

My mother-in-law and her family has lived in this neighborhood since the 1970s and there has always been a "gasolinera" on this corner.  

For the truly curious:

Galp    https://www.galp.com/corp/pt/  

Click here to see over 500 more weathervane photos!

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Gas Station in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 2, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-gas-station-in-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Photo Friday - Funny Story

There is a funny story attached to this glamorous photo of my mother-in-law...

back of the photo

dated April 1960

My mother-in-law was married in January 1960 and removed from Madrid, Spain to New York City, where my father-in-law was working for the United Nations.  She had this photo taken in New York, and sent it back to her parents in Madrid.

Do you notice anything funny about the photo?  Her conservative father (a military officer) liked the photo, but not Maria's "decolletage".  He colored in the neckline of her dress to make it a bit more modest.  And I'll bet you didn't notice until I pointed that out, did you?

Is there a photo in your family album that someone altered back before Photo Shop?  Maybe they cut out someone they didn't like? Or changed their hair color?

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Photo Friday - Funny Story", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 21, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/06/photo-friday-funny-story.html: accessed [access date]).

Photo Friday - Trip to Spain

Lunch with cousins in the town of Tres Cantos, near Madrid, Spain

This week I published two blog posts about our trip to Navarra, Spain to bring my mother-in-law to the village where she was born. You can read about the trip HERE and about an interesting weathervane on the church of her baptism HERE (if you like medieval epic stories, you'll like this connection to Roland and the Battle of Roncevaux).  Here are some other interesting photos of our trip, mostly in Madrid and Pamplona.

A display of tapas in a window at Madrid's Plaza Mayor

Puerta del Sol, the center of Madrid, and the center of Spain
(all points in Spain are measured from a marker in the center of this plaza)

Me and my mother-in-law boarding the high speed train from Madrid to Pamplona.
The trip took about three hours, with two stops, to go 400 km (about 250 miles)

On board the train, watching the scenery from Madrid to Pamplona

The Cathedral in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain - Santa Maria la Real

Interior view of the cathedral in Pamplona

The effigies of the King Charles III and Queen Eleanor of Navarra inside the cathedral

This marker shows the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrim way

Another marker for the "Camino"

The "encierro" is the route for the famous
running of the bulls in Pamplona

Our walk along the "Camino" through Pamplona

This street marker shows the intersection of the "Encierro" and "The Camino",
the two most famous routes which intersect in central Pamplona

Seen on a pharmacy along "The Camino"

This pub in Pamplona's Plaza Mayor was Hemingway's favorite watering hole,
and where he wrote "The Sun Also Rises" about Americans in Pamplona
for the San Fermin Festival to witness the running of the bulls.

Back in Madrid, at the local pub with more cousins

Vincent sorted and digitized two large boxes of family photos

These old photos from a cousin's house went back 100 years or more!

The most famous fountain in Madrid,
"Cibeles" is the mother goddess of the Earth,
also called "Gaia" or "Rhea"

This impressive building in Madrid used to be the central Post Office,
but it is now Madrid's City Hall "The Ayuntamiento"

Click here for the story of our visit to the Pyrenees:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-family-history-visit-to-pyrenees.html

Click here for the story about the weathervane in Orbaiceta, Navarra:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/weathervane-wednesday-song-of-roland.html

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Photo Friday - Trip to Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 24, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/photo-friday-trip-to-spain.html: accessed [access date]).