March 18, 2016
March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 and its content. It will be of great interest to all those who have a relationship with a center that, as you will see, has always been full of life. The Congregation of Religious Conceptionist Missionaries of Education was founded in Burgos by the nun Carmen de Jesús Sallés y Barangueras in the year 1892 Faithful to the mandate of Jesus “Go throughout the world and proclaim the Good News”, the Saint started a congregation of apostolic life evangelizing through the education of children and young people. A formation in faith and in the commitment to serve society from a comprehensive education based on testimony and coherence of life. A mission that has carried its work through Europe, Asia, Africa and America thanks to the work of the nuns who, like their founder, have been strong in the face of adversity and have "walked with a confident step and their eyes fixed on those who give fulfillment", endorsing the phrase of the Saint: "Forward, always forward, God will provide". This nun was beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 15, 1998, and canonized by Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.
canonized by Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012
The history of the Colegio Madres Concepcionistas de Princesa begins in 1897, in the school founded by mother Carmen Sallés in a large rented apartment on Calle de las Rejas, today Guillermo Rolland. When the space became too small, in 1901 it was moved to San Vicente Baja, today San Vicente Ferrer, with the aim of expanding the offer of Catholic schools, since families were forced to send their children to Protestant schools, numerous at that time. . Despite the breadth of the new location, its condition threatened to collapse, so a new move led to the establishment of the center on Juan Álvarez de Mendizábal street, corner of Ventura Rodríguez. The serious illness diagnosed to the founder in 1907 led her to find the definitive location of the school. Thanks to the walks recommended by the doctor for her recovery, she discovered, together with mother Providencia, that a “little hotel” was being sold on Calle Princesa (no. 15, now 21). An anonymous donation An anonymous donation
In 1908, the founder and superior general of the Institute received the "Decree of Praise", signed by S.S. Pius X. Two years later the “permission to erect the Novitiate in this house in Madrid” arrives. In 1911 the life of the foundress came to an end, in the house in Madrid-Princesa that she saw being born, but not without fulfilling her desire to establish the Central House of the congregation in Madrid, in which future Conceptionists, and that there be a chapel to honor the Immaculate Virgin. After her death, the congregation kept her legacy. Thus, in 1925 the "Second education" began with five students, and the premises quickly became small. In 1931, after the proclamation of the Second Republic, and before the burning of religious buildings, the school was moved to Calle Juan Álvarez de Mendizábal 1 and 2, being known as "Colegio Argüelles". In 1939, after the center was used as a Czech during the Civil War, reconstruction work on the building began. A year later, in 1940, the school facilities were expanded with the purchase of the “little hotel” on Calle Tutor 4, on which the pavilion known as “La Perla” was built, due to its white facades. In 1949 the new school of Princesa was inaugurated. A new extension arrived in 1979 with the acquisition of the house at Calle Tutor 6, known as the "Red House", due to the color of its facades. This is not the last great work, because in 1996 the height of the educational complex was raised one floor with the aim of achieving the necessary amplitude to accommodate the levels of Infant, Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate in its three modalities, according to the demands of the LOGSE. Currently, the complex is made up of the Princesa 21 building, the former seat of the General Government; and the educational complex, which houses the facilities at Calle Princesa 19, Calle Ventura Rodríguez 2, and those located at numbers 4 and 6 of Calle Tutor.
The school
The January afternoon I visited the center was cold, very cold. The cold feeling that made me think it would be impossible to take notes during the visit disappeared as soon as I walked through the center's walls. The horns of Calle Princesa became the noise of the schoolyard, and the cold disappeared thanks to the warm and generous welcome of mothers Martina, Milagros and Juliana. The nuns accompanied me during the entire visit and made it easier for me to write this article thanks to the documentation provided, among which I highlight the interesting publication about the founder, written by Mother Asunción Valls, historian of the congregation, as well as almost all the wonderful photographs that illustrate this article.
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
From the street, the simplicity and harmony of its different exterior facades are striking: their similar height, the numerous windows on its walls (quadrangular, rectangular and topped with semicircular arches). All of them are rendered in different tones, managing to harmonize the whole: gray (in Princesa 21 and the “La Perla” building), ocher in Princesa 19 and Ventura Rodríguez, and reddish in the “Casa Roja”. In the buildings on Calle Tutor, the beautiful ironwork present both in the windows on the ground floor and on the balconies on the upper floors stands out. Above the access door of Princesa 19 we find the image of the Immaculate Conception, who welcomes us, welcoming , with his arms outstretched. Already inside we can witness the wide galleries and rooms and its numerous and also wide stairs. The so-called Casa de M. Carmen, in honor of the founder, is made up of different rooms, in which we find memories of the Saint, interesting information about her family and her life, and the room that represents the presence of the nuns in the world, in whose well-cared showcases we see numerous souvenirs and typical objects of each country.
The buildings on Calle Princesa house, among others, the offices that were the headquarters of the Central Government, the secretariat, the chapel, the Baccalaureate classrooms, those for 4th year of Secondary, the conference room... On the other hand, in the pavilion Located on Ventura Rodríguez street we find, among other rooms, the 3rd year Secondary classrooms, the Computer room, the Plastics room or the laboratories, the meeting room for the Council and the Management Team... The buildings on Tutor street, “La Perla” and the “Red House”, house the Primary units, some Infant classrooms and those of 1st and 2nd Secondary, or the Psychomotricity classroom, among others. From its central patio, where students enjoy recess and practice different sports in the open air, we once again observe the architectural harmony of the interior walls of the complex: a vision of plastered walls in warm tones, only interrupted by the exposed bricks of the “ Casa Roja” and the building on Calle Princesa. These bricks form the arches of the gallery through which we access the chapel in the center, and in which, as a Way of the Cross, we discover the Mysteries of the Rosary on the walls. . From this patio we can see the modern Infant Education building, on the ground floor of which is one of the school's covered gymnasiums. Two floors rise above it with the classrooms for the youngest students, who also enjoy the covered patio adapted to their needs, located on the roof of this building.
The chapel and oratories
The school chapel is a large temple, with walls of warm colors and high height. Its ground plan is rectangular and it is made up of three naves. The central one, where we can see the shield of the congregation, is larger than the lateral ones, and is separated from them by means of arcades. The altarpiece draws attention in it, where raised above the Tabernacle, is the majestic image of the Immaculate Conception located inside a wide niche topped by a pointed arch. On both sides we discover the images of two angels attached to the altarpiece, decorated with golden floral motifs. In front of it we can see the altar, which is not the only one, since in both lateral naves we find the images of Saint Joseph with the Child in his arms (on the left) and the Holy Foundress (on the right).
On the side walls we find various stained glass windows with simple geometric motifs, among which we discover the different stations of the Via Crucis. The choir surrounds the temple, raised above its entrance and the sides. In these side galleries of the choir we find a series of sculptures: a Sacred Heart of Jesus, a crucified Christ, angels... The founder's oratory is located in the original building of the center, in the rooms that in the past were the bedroom and office of the Saint. It is a spacious and welcoming room in which you can see a simple stone altarpiece in which the image of the crucified Christ stands out. Next to it, on the right, and on a pedestal, is the sculpture of the Virgin with the Child. Next to the image of the Virgin rests the foundress, transferred in procession in 1949 from the Cemetery of the Sacramental of San Justo where she was buried in 1911. In her sepulcher we observe the Saint lying in a glass case on which we see pennants of the different places where the nuns are present.
The school has another oratory, in which the students carry out workshops on interiority. Smaller than the previous one, it coincides with this one in that it is also a cozy room that invites prayer. In the central part we can see the simple marble altarpiece, on which are found, on both sides of the Tabernacle, the images of the Virgin (on the left) and of the Risen Christ (on the right). On the left wall we find a colorful icon of Santa Carmen Sallés tenderly embracing two little ones. More than 1,000 students enjoy the honor of studying in a school with a centuries-old tradition in which the Religious Conceptionist Missionaries of Education, faithful to their charism and the spirituality of Carmen Sallés, carry out comprehensive training, sensitive to those most in need, with Mª Inmaculada as a reference and putting into practice a preventive methodology and style. The legacy of the Saint, perseverance, sincere dedication and full trust in God have driven these nuns for years to face challenges, to carry out their mission "Forward, always forward". Thank you for your effort, to achieve a more just and fraternal society, every day, together with the educational community, in each of your centers.
January 26, 2022