San Antonio de los Alemanes, Madrid, Spain

San Antonio de los Alemanes church was built in the Baroque style and was designed by Pedro Sánchez. The highly decorative High Altar and three side altars belong to the 18th century and were commissioned by the last Habsburg kings of Spain.

The church was built in the 1620s-1630s by King Felipe III along with a hostel and hospital for the Portuguese migrants who moved to Madrid when Portugal was under Spanish rule. For this reason it was originally called Hospital de los Portugueses. When Portugal gained independence, Phillip IV's Queen, Mariana de Austria, dedicated the refuge to German immigrants, and changed names.

King Phillip V gave the administration of the church over to the Hermandad del Refugio (Fraternity of Sanctuary), and this group continues to manage it today, offering food and shelter to the homeless of Madrid.

The church houses frescos by Luca Giordano and Francisco Ricci. The prolific Neopolitan painter Giordano was court painter (1692-1702) to Charles II of Spain, and active for the Royal Palace and the Buen Retiro Palace.

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Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Andy Salib (2 months ago)
Amazing find in Madrid, the interior is as good as the sistine chapel. Open on Monday and great quiet church. Do not miss if you visit spain

Cristina Fernandez (2 months ago)
Absolutely beautiful church. But don’t know if it’s necessary to pay €5.

Nikos Parastatidis (3 months ago)
Impressive little baroque interior. A 5€ ticket is needed to visit this little gem. The floor to ceiling frescoes are wonderful and the cool interior is perfect for a hot summer day visit.

Juliette S (4 months ago)
If you are looking for something less busy, open on Mondays and strikingly beautiful, this church should be on your list. The frescoes are magnificent on both the domed ceiling and walls. The audio guide included in the 5 Euro entry is informative and takes you through the story of each part of the frescoes including the miracles of St Antony which I particularly enjoyed. The church is small but I spent a good 30 minutes here, and it’s worth the effort to come here - the church paintings here inspired Goya and you will see why!

Bill Delis (7 months ago)
This small unknown church is an incredible work of art, with frescos rivaling those of the Sistine Chapel. I enjoyed the audio tour, as each fresco was described in detail.

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