At the start of the Calle del Codo, in the heart of the Austrias neighbourhood and adjoining the Plaza de la Villa, stands the doorway of the Torre de los Lujanes. Framed by a horseshoe arch with stone voussoirs that still bear clearly visible stonemason’s marks, this doorway has traditionally been held to be the oldest in Madrid. Now, a study commissioned by the Real Sociedad Económica Matritense de Amigos del País has made it possible to establish the truth of that claim.
A Study to Determine Its Age
Since 1867 this doorway has served as the entrance to the headquarters of the Real Sociedad Económica Matritense de Amigos del País (RSEMAP), and it is precisely this institution — which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary — that commissioned a scientific analysis to determine its exact age. The study, carried out by the Laboratory of Ionising Radiation and Dating at the University of Salamanca, was made public on Tuesday 24 November at the RSEMAP’s headquarters.
The findings indicate that the wood used in the door comes from a tree that was alive around the year 1415 (±10 years), placing its construction at around 1420. At that time, the building did not belong to the Luján family, but to their earlier occupants, the Ocaña (see Las casas de los Lujanes: Noticias sobre sus primeros ocupantes for further information).
One of the coordinators and driving forces behind the study has been our colleague José Manuel Castellanos Oñate, a specialist in medieval Madrid and a member of the RSEMAP, whose blog El Madrid Medieval is a leading reference in the field.
One of the hypotheses put forward by Castellanos is that this doorway may have provided access to the wine cellar of Gonzalo García de Ocaña in the mid-fifteenth century. Block 176 was the site, until 1450, of the houses of the accountant Gonzalo García de Ocaña, which from that date passed into the hands of the royal chamberlain Pedro de Luján.
The Oldest Door in Madrid: A Medieval Treasure in the Heart of the City
The precise dating of this doorway confirms its exceptional antiquity and represents a significant finding for Madrid’s heritage — a heritage that does not always receive the care and attention it deserves from those responsible for it.
Its current condition calls for careful and rigorous restoration. We trust that the competent authorities will recognise its historical value and grant it both the protection and the attention it merits.
La Gatera de la Villa wishes to express its gratitude to the RSEMAP and to the team at the University of Salamanca. Studies of this kind are essential for a deeper understanding of the history of the city.