Lost in the educational landscape of Madrid stands Centro Privado de Educación Infantil, Primaria y Secundaria Escuelas Pías de San Fernando. It is a story of resilience and adaptation. This school’s history is deeply intertwined with the Escuelas Pías in the Lavapiés neighborhood.
Let’s step back in time. The original Escuelas Pías de San Fernando emerged from the Colegio de San Fernando. Locals knew it affectionately as Colegio de Lavapiés. Father Juan García de la Concepción championed its founding in 1729. He used land on Mesón de Paredes Street near the Pilar hermitage.
In 1735 the parish priest of San Justo ceded the hermitage to the Order of the Escolapios. The school became Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Portería. It was the first Madrid school for the Escolapios. By 1740 the school had 2400 students.
Royal donations allowed the construction of a church connected to the school. Built between 1763 and 1791 it featured a rotunda. The rotunda was crowned by a cupola. During Carlos III’s reign it was renamed Colegio de San Fernando. In 1795 it housed Spain’s first school for the deaf and mute.
The French invasion in 1808 disrupted everything. The community of Escolapios was evicted. The library was stripped of its books. Valuable numismatic and paleographic collections vanished. After the war Father Losada tried to rebuild the community. Student numbers declined. Most students came from Madrid’s poorest families. Education was free for these children.
On July 19 1936 tragedy struck. Uncontrolled elements of the CNT set the building ablaze. This was after Falangists inside fired at everything moving nearby. At least that was the excuse. The church was looted. Its interior images were destroyed.
After the war the ruins were left as they were. In the 1940s part of the Escuelas Pías land became the San Fernando Market. Around 1950 the Lavapiés Cinema opened on the site of the old school.
In 2002 the ruins were repurposed into a UNED library. Before this the ruins had become a refuge for the surrounding marginalized population. The goal was to integrate the library into the ruins. The ruins retained their evocative and romantic character.
Today the cultural center includes new university classrooms. The library is in the old church of San Fernando. The restoration contrasts the rough original materials with wood and modern furniture. Altars surround the space filled with books and light. The Escuelas Pías coat of arms still exists over the old rotunda’s arch. It is a symbol of the institution’s history.
Now located on Avenida Bularas in Pozuelo de Alarcón this Centro Privado de Educación Infantil, Primaria y Secundaria Escuelas Pías de San Fernando continues its mission. It offers education from primary to secondary levels. It is recognized as a private school. It emphasizes inclusion and diversity. It provides facilities for students with disabilities. The school fosters an inclusive environment for all.