Opening of the Casa de Salud de Santa Cristina and its School of Midwifery

After many setbacks, the building was finally completed and ready to start working. Although the date chosen for the inaugural ceremony was the same as that when the first stone had been laid 20 years earlier, the centre had begun to work slightly before. The first pregnant woman to give birth there on May 11 1924, was Felisa Romero González, the baby´s father was Miguel Aguilar Cuevas, builder´s mate. The baby, named Alfonso Cristino Aguilar Romero, had the honour of María Cristina de Habsburgo herself being his godmother when he was christened in the institution´s chapel.

On the day of the official opening, June 28 1924, many people who had been involved in the creation of the building attended. In one of the photos taken during the guided tour we can see, on the left, Leopoldo Eijo Garay, Prelate of the Madrid-Alcalá Diocese, and the president of the Military Directorate, General Miguel Primo de Rivera,. In the middle are the marchioness of Comillas, Queen María Cristina of Austria, and the monarchs, Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia, together with the faculty professors. On the right, the director of the centre, José Gálvez Guinachero, the sub-director, José Bourkaib, doctor Francisco Luque Beltrán and the architect, Luis de Landecho Jordán de Urriés. However, Amalia Loring, marchioness of Silvela and one of those most involved in the building project, was unable to attend for health reasons. To compensate, Queen María Cristina sent her the very same bunch of flowers she had received during the ceremony.