Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes, is one of the hidden treasures in the centre of Madrid and which is really worth visiting. Some time ago, in this blog, we wrote about Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, a jewel located in the very centre of Madrid and not appreciated enough. The church we will visit today, could be a very similar case. Of course, in Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes we will not find the frescoes by Goya as in the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida, but nonetheless, we can admire other priceless paintings. As is the case with Ermita de San Antonio, this church does not stand out because of its exterior beauty being a small church of sober appearance that hardly attracts the attention of passers-by.

However, once inside, the contrast is really striking: an exquisite decoration with a stunning altarpiece and magnificent paintings. The interior leaves the visitor speechless as nothing quite so beautiful as this is expected when only viewing the church from the outside. It is said that the best scents are found in small perfume bottles: this saying can be attributed to this XVII century church that invites the visitor to sit on one of its pews and calmly admire each of its corners. Do you want to visit it with us?

A BAROQUE ILLUSIONISM TEMPLE

Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes is located at the crossroads of Calle Puebla and Calle Corredera Alta de San Pablo, in the heart of the area of Malasaña. This building is a wonderful exponent of the Madrileño baroque style and it was finished in 1633. One of the peculiarities of this church is its elliptical plan (in Spain there are hardly any with such a shape), as well as the frescoes that decorate the interior.

It is really lovely to see how, inside the church, the frescoes combine and mix with its architecture and the retable sculptures, creating an artistic composition of incalculable value. This artistic ensemble is a wonderful example of what is called baroque illusionism with its different figures interacting and thus, creating a unique effect of great dynamism.

However, what really stands out above everything, are the frescoes as they completely cover the walls of the church, decorating them quite spendidly in perfect communion with the beautiful domed ceiling. The dome is decorated with paintings of the Apotheosis of San Antonio, painted by the Asturian Juan Carreño de Miranda. The rest of the walls are decorated with paintings by Francisco Rizi, Luca Giordano, Eugenio Cajés and Nicolás de Cuadra, amongst other artists.

SEVERAL ALTARPIECES AND A CRYPT

Apart from the paintings, the church stands out for several altarpieces, each one of them being the work of a different artist. We consider them all very beautiful, but we will focus on the main altarpiece, the work of sculptor Miguel Fernández in 1765. This retable replaced the one that had been burnt down 40 years before. We can highlight the superb sculpture of San Antonio con el Niño, the most significant work of the Portuguese sculptor Manuel Pereira. Lastly, we want to mention its small crypt which can be accessed down the stairs and that has an altar and pews for prayer. To summarize, this is a really must-see visit in the centre of Madrid. In case anybody has any doubts, we want to say that Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes was declared a National Artistic Monument in 1972.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

Originally, Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes was a hospital for the Portuguese when Spain and Portugal where one single kingdom. In 1688, the function of the building changed and it became a place of religious worship for German catholics which were, in those days, very numerous at court. This is the origin of the current name of the church.

Picture 01: Javier González Zapatero

Pictures 02 and 05: Alejandro

Picture 03: Enrique Cordero

Pictures 04 and 06: Zarateman