The former home of the playwright, poet, and essayist is open to visitors between August and July. Located in the old centre of Madrid’s Huertas district this reconstruction of Lope de Vega’s home is authentic down to the last detail.
Lope Felix de Vega Carpio
Born in Madrid in 1562 Lope Felix de Vega Carpio has become one of Spain’s most treasured literary figures. Already making a living in his early twenties as a poet and dramatist in Madrid, the “Spanish Phoenix” Lope de Vega produced hundreds of plays in his lifetime, 400 of which survive today (from an estimated 1800 in total). A contemporary of William Shakespeare, Marlowe, and other Spanish writers such as Francisco de Quevedo, Calderon, and Luis de Gongora, Lope de Vega was writing during Spain’s Siglo de Oro (golden century).
Lope de Vega’s life, like his work, was colourful to say the least. Lope de Vega originally trained to be a priest like many men of his age, but left Jesuit College in pursuit of a married woman, then took to writing in Madrid, supplementing his income as a pimp. There were a series of amorous entanglements throughout Lope de Vega’s life (on one occasion leading to imprisonment and exile), several marriages, and a stint in the doomed naval enterprise of the Great Armada of 1588. Much of Lope de Vega’s later work took on a more religious dimension as he grew older
The House of Lope de Vega in The Literary District of Madrid
Located at Calle Cervantes 11, in the bustling Huertas area of Madrid, the Casa de Lope de Vega has been recreated in authentic 17th century style thanks to a list of house contents left when Lope de Vega died in 1635.
The contents of the house reflect perfectly the writers three main interests; a chapel, a library of contemporary literary works, and...a harem. The garden too has been recreated as accurately as possible using letters from Lope de Vega during his twenty five years at number 11.
The area is known generally for its literary connections and became known as the barrio de las letras. Cervantes lived on the same street at number 2, but a plaque is all that remains. A monument dedicated to Cervantes stands in the Plaza de Espana on the other side of town. The house is closed Sundays and Mondays. Free on Saturdays.
The nearest Metro stop is Anton Martin (Blue Line #1)
