Replica of the Portal of the Casa de la Cadena in Navalcarnero, Spain

Navalcarnero may be a small town southwest of Madrid, but its streets are steeped in history. Founded in the 15th century, it became an important stop between Madrid and Toledo and is now particularly celebrated for its wine production. The town's vineyards form part of the Denomination of Origin Vinos de Madrid, and its winemaking tradition has long been one of Navalcarnero's defining features. Yet among its wine cellars and historic streets is a doorway that recalls a rather more aristocratic chapter in the town's past. On October 7, 1649, King Philip IV of Spain married his niece, the Archduchess Mariana of Austria, in Navalcarnero. The couple received their nuptial blessing in two adjoining houses belonging to Miguel González Ollero, a local priest and lawyer, which had been temporarily converted into a palace for the royal occasion. The newlyweds then spent two nights there, effectively turning the modest residence into their royal honeymoon suite. A royal coat of arms was placed above the entrance, and years later the building acquired the name Casa de la Cadena, or “House of the Chain,” after a ceremonial chain was installed in front of the doorway, attached to enormous sto…

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