Colegio Santa María del Pilar

{{Short description|Catholic private school in Madrid, Spain}}

The Colegio Santa María del Pilar, known also as Colegio Santa María, is a Roman Catholic private primary, middle and high school founded by the Society of Mary in Madrid, Spain.{{cite web| title=Historia del Colegio| url=http://www.santamariadelpilar.es/html/historia.htm| access-date=17 December 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415111740/http://www.santamariadelpilar.es/html/historia.htm| archive-date=15 April 2009| url-status=dead}} 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 modern brick vaults.{{cite book |title=Historia del arte universal de los siglos XIX y XX |last=Preckler |first=Ana María |year= 2003|publisher=Editorial Completense |location=Madrid |isbn= 9788474917062|page=578 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqBqhcqf9RQC&q=iglesia%20del%20colegio%20santa%20maria%20del%20pilar%20arquitecto&pg=PA5 }}

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 1600 ROZ 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.{{cite news | title=Sección Madrid (in Spanish)| newspaper=El País| date=13 November 2008| url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Madrid/cambiara/53795/papeleras/partir/diciembre/elpepuesp/20081113elpepunac_7/Tes| publisher=El Paísa | access-date=14 August 2009}}

The school is often ranked as one of the best schools of Spain {{cite web | title=100 Colegios – El Mundo.es (in Spanish) | url=http://www.elmundo.es/especiales/2008/03/aula/100colegios/| access-date=17 December 2008}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.lavozlibre.com/noticias/ampliar/323617/froilan-vuelve-al-colegio-en-madrid|title=Froilán vuelve al colegio en Madrid|last=Yagüe|first=Maria Eugenia|publisher=La Voz Libre|access-date=28 September 2011|location=Spanish|archive-date=24 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124110517/http://www.lavozlibre.com/noticias/ampliar/323617/froilan-vuelve-al-colegio-en-madrid|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.vanitatis.com/casas-reales/2011/euros-estudiar-colegio-poderosos-20110906-15649.html|last=Parrado|first=Alex|publisher=Vanitatis|language=es|title=Froilán 'pagará' 30000 euros al mes para estudiar en el colegio de 'los poderosos'|access-date=28 September 2011}}

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.

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).
  • Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón (Royal family of Spain)
  • Rafael del Pino (business magnate, philanthropist){{cite web | title=Rafael del Pino y Moreno: founder of Ferrovial | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4174404.ece| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523051807/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4174404.ece| url-status=dead| archive-date=May 23, 2010| work=The Times | date=June 20, 2008 | access-date=11 August 2009 | location=London}}
  • Antonio Resines (actor){{cite web|title=Historia Del Colegio (in Spanish) |url=http://www.santamariadelpilar.es/Asociacion_Antiguos/historia.htm |publisher=Asociación de Antiguos Alumnos del Colegio Santa Mª del Pilar |access-date=14 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928051659/http://santamariadelpilar.es/Asociacion_Antiguos/historia.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2008 }}
  • Diego López Garrido (socialist politician){{cite web | title=Diego López Garrido: España es el país más europeísta de la UE | url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/04/30/union_europea/1272635595.html| publisher=El Mundo | date=May 1, 2010 }}
  • Borja Pérez (Spanish footballer)
  • Luis de Guindos (Spanish minister of Economy){{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2015/07/13/luis-de-guindos_n_7786082.html|title = 27 cosas que no sabías de Luis de Guindos|date = 13 July 2015}}
  • José Ignacio Wert (Spanish former minister of Education){{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2015/07/13/luis-de-guindos_n_7786082.html|title = 27 cosas que no sabías de Luis de Guindos|date = 13 July 2015}}
  • Leopoldo González-Echenique (former-president of the Public Television of Spain){{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2015/07/13/luis-de-guindos_n_7786082.html|title = 27 cosas que no sabías de Luis de Guindos|date = 13 July 2015}}

References

{{Reflist}}