COAM - Official College of Architects of Madrid

Of the old hospital, the Church of San Antón remains, built by Pedro de Ribera in the first half of the 18th century. However, the extensive renovation carried out by the architect Francisco de Rivas between 1794 and 1832 to adapt it to its new function as a school stripped this church of the typical Baroque decoration characteristic of Ribera. The tradition of the Feast of Saint Anthony (January 17) is still maintained here, during which animals are blessed and bread rolls dedicated to the saint are sold. Outside the building, a fountain designed by Ventura Rodríguez, known as the Fountain of the Dolphins, stands out. Built between 1770 and 1772, it was renovated in 1900 and is located on the corner of Hortaleza and Santa Brígida streets. The Official College of Architects of Madrid and the Architecture Foundation have inaugurated the Madrid Architecture Gallery, a new exhibition space permanently dedicated to Spanish architecture. This space explains the evolution of Madrid's architecture through models and graphic and bibliographic documents that analyze different themes. The first two focus on the restoration and intervention in built heritage, exhibition pavilions, and the architect's journey (the latter reflects the tradition formalized since the 18th century of incorporating travel as an intrinsic part of the architect's training, showing documents from Fernando García Mercadal or Ramón Vázquez Molezún, among others).