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.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Endika A (5 years ago)
Beatifull

Emre Yıldız (5 years ago)
Nice art.

Patrick B. (5 years ago)
They call it Madrid's sistine chapel, and they may be right, it's a small space but very beautiful nonetheless. The entrance costs €2, but if you enjoy classical churches then it's well worth it. It's also a good place to sit down and take in all the paintings and get some rest from all the walking around the city. Make sure to check the visiting hours because it is a working church and the do hold mass. They give you a plastic printout telling you about its history and what the paintings mean, just to use during your visit, but I believe it's only in Spanish, but ask anyways just in case. A good visit after you have visited all the main ones.

Zijada (5 years ago)
Wonderful place Worth the travel, absolutly marvelous

Eric Gauthier (6 years ago)
This small church is a work of art on its own. Highly recommended.

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