Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida (Museum)

With its austere appearance, the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida surprises with the magnificent pictorial ensemble painted by Goya at the end of the 18th century. In this masterpiece of Spanish art, the Aragonese artist was always mindful that he was decorating one of Madrid's most popular churches, famous for its pilgrimage on June 13th. It is part of the National Heritage, within the Historical Complex of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

The original hermitage, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, was built opposite the Fountain of the Fan by order of Charles IV. Designed by Francisco de Fontana (1792-1798), its floor plan is in the shape of a Greek cross with very short arms and a semicircular apse at the east end, which creates a central space dominated by a large dome illuminated by a lantern. Rooms attached to the exterior surround the hermitage, forming a rectangle. The feet that mark the main façade, built according to the Baroque canon, are particularly striking. Due to the special concern that has always existed to guarantee its preservation, it was declared a National Monument in 1905, and in 1928 an identical church was built next to it to relocate the worship and reserve the original as a Goya museum. Despite being one of the best examples of Neoclassical architecture in Madrid, it is Goya's frescoes that make the Hermitage of San Antonio an essential stop in Madrid, as well as being the place where the artist's remains have rested since 1919. Goya decorated the dome with frescoes that represent the Saint's trance before the people of Lisbon. The altarpieces were later painted by Jacinto Gómez Pastor.