Colegio Santa María del Pilar
The Colegio Santa María del Pilar, known also as Colegio El Pilar, is a Roman Catholic private primary, middle and high school founded by the Society of Mary in Madrid, Spain.[1] The school campus is one of the largest in central Madrid and its listed chapel, built in the 1950s, is one of the finest examples of early Spanish moderne brick vaults.[2]
Overview
The school was founded in 1953, as an extension of the existing Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar. The principal of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar School was also principal of the newly created school, which was called “Nuestra Señora del Pilar-B". In 1959 the school changed its name to Santa Maria del Pilar and inaugurated the current facilities. In December 2008 the School was granted permission to build a new sports centre with swimming pool and a new gym.[3] The school is often ranked as one of the best schools of Spain [4] and has a long list of distinguished former pupils.
Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (eldest son of the Infanta Elena of Spain) has recently been banned from this school because of his attitude.[5][6]
Academics
The school offers all levels from kindergarten to pre-university courses. The school's students are among the students who perform best at the university aptitude tests. It is also ranked among the best schools in Spain according to different yearly publications in the field. [4]
Facilities
The school main campus occupies a large plot in the centre of Madrid, near Buen Retiro Park. Each year-class occupies a pavilion, connected by canopies. The school also has a contemporary listed chapel, a junior library, a nursery, playgrounds, junior gym, an administration building, and a large main building that contains the school's religious community residence, science laboratories, a canteen, senior library, and art studios. In the northernmost area of the campus there is a sports complex with indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, paddle tennis courts, football field, basketball courts, and hockey fields.
Some distinguished former pupils
- Silvia Abascal (actress).[1]
- Alejo Erice Calvo-Sotelo (Medical researcher)[7]
- Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (Royal family of Spain)
- Rafael del Pino (business magnate, philanthropist)[8]
- Antonio Resines (actor)[9]
- Diego López Garrido (socialist politician)[10]
- Francisco de Borja Pérez-Peñas Díaz-Mauriño (Spanish footballer)
- Luis de Guindos (Spanish minister of Economy)
- José Ignacio Wert (Spanish former minister of Education)
- Izaskun Chinchilla (architect)
References
- 1 2 "Historia del Colegio". Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ↑ Preckler, Ana María. Historia del arte universal de los siglos XIX y XX. Madrid: Editorial Completense. p. 578.
- ↑ "Sección Madrid (in Spanish)". El Paísa. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- 1 2 "100 Colegios – El Mundo.es (in Spanish)". Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ↑ Yagüe, Maria Eugenia. "Froilán vuelve al colegio en Madrid". Spanish: La Voz Libre. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
- ↑ Parrado, Alex. "Froilán 'pagará' 300 euros al mes para estudiar en el colegio de 'los poderosos'" (in Spanish). Vanitatis. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
- ↑ Rocío García (1988-05-28). "Alejo Erice Calvo-Sotelo, Perfil (in Spanish)". El País. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ↑ "Rafael del Pino y Moreno: founder of Ferrovial". London: The Times. June 20, 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ↑ "Historia Del Colegio (in Spanish)". Asociación de Antiguos Alumnos del Colegio Santa Mª del Pilar. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ↑ "Diego López Garrido: España es el país más europeísta de la UE". El Mundo. May 1, 2010.