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All Spain Madrid Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida
AO Edited

Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida

King Carlos IV laid the first stone during construction of this chapel.

Madrid, Spain

Added By
Luis Morato
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Goya’s grave in front of the altar.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Goya’s grave in front of the altar.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Detail   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
What the free ticket looks like   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of the dome.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Frescoes.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
View of the hermitage.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Frescoes.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Goya’s grave.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The painted dome.   The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202.
‘Majas’ painted by Goya.   The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202.
Goya’s sculpture in front of the hermitage.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Outside view   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
18th century fountain into the temple.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The hermitage dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua is a work by 18th-century Italian architect Filippo Fontana. The work was commissioned by King Carlos IV, as he wanted to use it as a royal chapel during his stay in the nearby Florida palace.

As proof of its importance, the king himself laid the first stone in 1792. The simple Neoclassical building with a Greek floor plan was completed in 1798. What makes this temple a treasure is its interior, especially the frescoes that decorate the inside. They were painted by Goya in collaboration with his disciple and friend Asensio Juliá, between June and October 1798. Thanks to strategically placed mirrors, visitors can admire the miracle of Saint Anthony of Padua that occurred in the saint's hometown of Lisbon.

The frescoes on the dome showcase the saint and other main figures. Other characters, representative of the people of Madrid as majas or chisperos, leaning on a trompe l'oeil railing.

To preserve the frescoes, a hermitage symmetrical to the previous one was built in 1928 right next to it, where worship could be practiced leaving the original reserved as a museum. In 1919, it was decided to transfer Goya's body to the hermitage. 

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Hermitage History & Culture Architecture

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Access: By train or tube. Principe Pio: Lines 6,10 and R. Admission: free

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Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

Xavixavir

  • Xavixavir

Published

July 22, 2022

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Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida
5 Gta. San Antonio de la Florida
Madrid, 28008
Spain
40.42536, -3.725542
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