King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended the ceremony to celebrate the bicentenary of Ateneo de Madrid, an academic institution in the Spanish capital.
Their Majesties arrived at the athenaeum on 11 April, accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta; the three of them were welcomed by many authorities and personalities of the academic world, including the President of Ateneo de Madrid, Luis Arroyo.
Once inside, the event began with interventions from President Arroyo, as well as Emilio Lledó, a member of the Spanish Royal Academy and former member of the atheneum, and actors Miguel Rellán and Leire Martín.
The speeches were closed by a few words from King Felipe, who highlighted: “Ateneo de Madrid has always been a pioneer of culture and science, a refuge for free thinking, a space for debate and intellectual meetings, an emblem of its time. And here we are happily reunited, following the upheavals brought on by the pandemic, to praise its great legacy and celebrate its bicentenary.”
There were musical moments throughout the ceremony, courtesy of Trio Arbós, who performed music from Spanish composers, including Manuel de Falla’s “Asturiana y Polo de las Siete canciones populares españolas.”
Once the ceremony was over, King Felipe and Queen Letizia moved to the “Fish Tank” in the Ateneo’s library, where they were welcomed by the associate librarian and given a tour of the exhibition created to celebrate the institution’s two centuries of existence.
Titled “Dos siglos buscando la luz” (“Two centuries looking for the light”), it collects pieces that showcase all the relevant moments for all three of the main components of the institution, which are science, literature and art.
The bicentenary fell in October 2020, when King Felipe welcomed a delegation of representatives from Ateneo de Madrid at Zarzuela Palace. Both the King and Queen Letizia have been patrons of the Bicentenary Patronage for Ateneo de Madrid since 2019.
