Cervantes It is very present in the history of Madrid and today it is topical again while the search for the place of his burial in the Convent of the Trinitarians.  Luis Astrana Marin has documented the various Madrid homes of Cervantes, and tells us about a very special place, a lot on Atocha Street, considered by the illustrious scholar as the sancta santorum of Madrid Cervantism.

It is number 87 Atocha Street. Here the prince edition of the first part of Don Quijote de la Mancha in 1604, published in May 1605.
Juan de la Cuesta It is known primarily for having produced Don Quixote and other works by Cervantes, although many other works by Cervantes also came out of its presses. Golden age, Such as Lope de Vega.
The building where the workshops were located where the prince edition of Don Quixote was printed was previously known as the old Hospitalillo del Carmen; Later it was given the name Editora del Quijote or Imprenta del Quixote.
A plaque commemorates the printing of the manuscript purchased by the editor Francisco de Robles who, by the way, did not have much confidence in the success of the work.
The printing press had 6 presses and about 20 workers, producing various official documents for the Crown.
After his death. His widow continued the family workshop.
The current house that is currently located on the site where that printing press was located is an old renovated building, declared a national monument of a historical-artistic nature. It is property of the Cervantine Society of Madrid. This society was created in 1953 at the initiative of the illustrious Cervantist Luis Astrana Marín. The society has a Cervantino Museum, a XNUMXth century printing press, plus a library specialized in topics from Cervantes' work and a conference venue. Visiting it is a trip to the world of the XNUMXth century edition and the universe of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Juan de la Cuesta's printing press found in the Cervantina Society is an exact replica of the movable type printing press with which the first edition of Don Quixote de la Mancha was printed.

In the year 1609, by order of the king Philip III The school for homeless children was ordered to be moved to Atocha Street and a church and a hospital for incurables were built, offering Juan de la Cuesta's widow the transfer of the printing press to San Eugenio Street, which she accepted. For this reason, the prince's edition of the second part of Don Quixote de la Mancha was made on this street in 1615. The Exemplary Novels were also printed in this printing house in 1613.

We will continue waiting for news of the search for Cervantes' remains, but we must not forget that his bones are not what is important, what is truly transcendental is his legacy, those works that have elevated the Spanish language and an unforgettable character like Don Quixote.

A abrazo.