Lope de Vega House Museum
Information
The Lope de Vega House Museum, on Calle Cervantes, was built in the sixteenth century and purchased by the great writer of the Spanish Golden Age in 1610. He lived in it until he died, in 1635. In 1935, marking three hundred years since the death of Lope de Vega, the building was declared a monument and opened as a museum.
From Lope de Vega’s death to the nineteenth century, the house had a number of owners, who refurbished and renovated the building more than once. In fact, the original structure was no longer visible. When the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language bought the house in the 1930s, the building recovered the rooms that the famed writer used back in the seventeenth century. Currently, visitors can walk into the studio, the oratory he had built before he was ordained, and the back garden – ‘mi güertecillo,’ as Lope used to call it.
Some of the pieces of furniture and paintings in the house museum belonged to the writer. They were donated to a convent by one of Lope de Vega’s daughters. In addition, the house contains works of art, furniture, kitchenware and books on the former owner and his age.
The rooms and the theatre plays performed in the house in the summer recreate the spirit of Lope de Vega’s time and the ways of living in the Golden Age of Spanish art and literature.
Important: Although the garden and temporary exhibition can be visited without prior booking, the museum can only be seen on a 35-minute guided tour which must be booked in advance. It is conducted every half an hour in Spanish, English, Italian or French.
Services
Docking Stations:
- Huertas (calle Jesús, 1)
- Plaza de Santa Ana, 10
Free entrance on guided visits for groups. Prior reservation required by phone: 91 429 92 16 or via e-mail to:casamuseolopedevega@madrid.org.
Visits start every half hour and last around 35 minutes (last visit is at 5pm). Visits are also held in English, Italian and French.
Important: Although the garden and temporary exhibition can be visited without prior booking, the museum can only be seen on a 35-minute guided tour which must be booked in advance. It is conducted every half an hour in Spanish, English, Italian or French.