Belenes en Centro
Belén de la Comunidad de Madrid
Christmas in Sol. The Real Casa de Correos Nativity Scene
Calle del Correo, 1
From 30 November to 7 January, from 10am to 10pm
Special opening hours: 30 November, 4 December and 6 January, from 2pm to 10pm.
24, 31 December and 5 January from 10am to 6pm
Closed on 25 December and 1 January
Times subject to change
Free admission. The entrance will close 30 minutes before the end of the activity.
Once again this year, the Community of Madrid invites you to discover the Real Casa de Correos Nativity Scene, with more than 330 figures by leading nativity scene artists such as José Luis Mayo, Javier Guilloto, Daniel Alcántara and Monserrat Ribes, among others.
With a 280-square metre tableau and more than 15 scenes, this innovative and immersive nativity scene will provide a captivating experience in which visitors will be able to see key events that changed the course of history. The scenes include the Annunciation to Mary, the Dream of St. Joseph, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Kings and the Nativity.
Plaza Mayor de Madrid
From 24 November to 31 December
Mondays to Thursdays and Sundays, from 9am to 9pm
Fridays, Saturdays and on days before a public holiday, from 9am to 10pm
Part of the Christmas market. Set up by the Madrid Association of Nativity Scene Makers.
Imprenta Municipal
Calle Concepción Jerónima, 15
From 19 December to 10 January
Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 8pm, closed on Mondays.
Traditional nativity scene set up by the Madrid Association of Nativity Scene Makers.
Consejería de Cultura y Turismo de la Comunidad de Madrid
Calle Alcalá, 31
From 13 December to 7 January
Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 8:30pm
Sundays from 11am to 2pm
Closed on 24, 25, 31 December and 1 and 6 January
19th century Nativity Scene-Exhibition.
Created and set up by the Madrid Association of Nativity Scene Makers.
Plaza de Callao. El Corte Inglés Callao
From 21 November to 6 January, from 10am to 10pm
Ten of Spain’s best nativity scene makers, including José Francisco Guilloto, José Ángel Oviedo, José Luis Mayo, the Cerrada brothers and Ana María Moya, have painstakingly carved and hand-painted each of the figures in this nativity scene which has been designed by the master artisan and winner of the Trophy of the Spanish Federation of Nativity Scenes, Andrés Fernández García. The same can be said of the buildings, animals, tools and furniture and of the miniature pigeons, pigs, cages, carts, tools, etc. The sand, moss, lichen, lichen and plants used to recreate the landscape are all natural. The LED lighting is designed to accentuate every nuance. The scenes depicted - the Annunciation; the search for the inn in Bethlehem; the Nativity; the Annunciation to the shepherds - are a respectful representation of tradition. Everything in this El Corte Inglés nativity scene is made with the utmost care to share with the public of Madrid one of its great Christmas passions.
Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
Plaza de las Descalzas, 3
From 14 December to 7 January. Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am to 1:45pm and from 4pm to 6:15pm. Sundays and public holidays, from 11am to 2:45pm, except during the midday mass. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 December, and 1 and 6 January.
Scene inspired by the grotto at Greccio, the site of the first nativity scene recreated by St. Francis 800 years ago, at Christmas 1223.
Monasterio de la Encarnación
Plaza Encarnación, 1
From 5 December to 7 January. Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am to 1:45pm and from 4pm to 6:15pm. Sundays from 11am to 2:45pm, except during the mass at midday and at 1pm. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 December, and 1 and 6 January.
Nativity scene made up of figures by José Luis Mayo and manufacturers in Olot, with a reproduction of the façade of the monastery.
Palacio Real de Madrid
Genoa Halls
Calle Bailén, s/n
From 6 December to 4 January
Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm. Last admission at 5pm
Sundays, from 10am to 4pm. Last admission at 3pm
24 and 31 December until 3pm. Last admission at 2pm.
Closed on 25, December and 1, 5 and 6 January. The closing dates for the first week of January are subject to change. In all cases, the last admission will be one hour before closing time.
The Prince’s Nativity Scene
The Neapolitan Nativity Scene was begun by Charles III for his son, the Prince of Asturias, the future Charles IV. In the 1990s, it was enlarged with farmhouses, figures and finimenti, horse tack, made in traditional Neapolitan workshops. In the 21st century, the National Heritage Restoration team has been gradually expanding it by creating new elements, figures, architecture, etc.
Monasterio de Santa Isabel
Calle de Santa Isabel, 48-46
From 12 December to 7 January. Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am to 1:45pm and from 4pm to 6pm. Sundays and public holidays, from 11am to 1:45pm. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 December, and 1 and 6 January.
Traditional nativity scene made up of figures by José Luis Mayo and a Neapolitan nativity scene with figures based on 18th-century models. Set up by the Madrid Association of Nativity Scene Makers.
Monasterio Jerónimo del Corpus Christi. Convento de las Carboneras
Plaza del Conde Miranda, 3
In the lower choir of the monastery church, behind the grille.
From 8 December to 9 January from 8:30am to 1pm and from 4:30pm to 7pm
This 17th century Baroque nativity scene from Quito has been preserved in this convent of the Jeronimite Nuns since its foundation in 1605. Of particular note are the figures of “The Knight of the Star” and “the Herald”. These figures frequently adorned the nativity scenes of the 17th century during the Hapsburg era, but disappeared in the later Neapolitan tableaux of the Bourbon period; today it is by no means easy to find them in our modern nativity scenes. Juan José Casenave creates a different tableau every year.
Catedral de Santa María La Real de la Almudena Madrid
Calle Bailén, 10
The entrance atrium
From 26 November to 7 January, from 10am to 8pm
Closed on 1 and 6 January from 1:30pm to 5:30pm
Biblical-style nativity scene, with figures by J.L. Mayo, with changing lights
Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Fe
Calle Atocha, 87-bis
From 4 December to 5 January
Mondays to Fridays from 6:30pm to 8pm
Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am to 1pm and from 6:30pm to 8pm
Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January
Nativity scene of the Brotherhood of Silence
Figures approximately 50 cm tall, made of polychrome wood by the Valencian sculptor Enrique Casterá Masiá (1910-1983) around the middle of the last century.
Iglesia de Las Calatravas
Calle Alcalá, 25
In the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat.
From 20 December to 6 January
Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 1pm. Tuesdays to Fridays from 6pm to 8pm. Saturdays before the 7:30pm mass. Sundays before the 12:30pm mass.
Nativity Scene with 70 cm figures.
Parroquia de San Ildefonso y Santos Niños Justo y Pastor
Canonical seat of the Brotherhood of La Borriquita
Plaza de San Ildefonso, s/n
From 16 December to 7 January from 9am to 1pm and from 6:30pm to 9pm
Nativity Scene of the Parish of San Ildefonso, the home of the Brotherhood of the Little Donkey in Madrid. What makes this Nativity Scene special is the fact that it is made with the images of the patron saints of the Brotherhood of La Borriquita in Madrid. In the case of the Virgin Mary, the image is that of the patron of the brotherhood (Most Holy Mary of the Annunciation). The other figures in this Nativity Scene are some of the secondary images that feature in the float of the Mystery of Our Father Jesus of Love, which is carried in procession on Palm Sunday from the La Almudena Cathedral to the Church of San Ildefonso, during the procession of the Little Donkey.