Collegiate Church of San Isidro, Madrid
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The church of San Isidro el Real, also known as the colegiata or
History
The building was designed by architect Pedro Sánchez in 1620. Construction began two years later, directed by the architect until his death in 1633. Francisco Bautista and Melchor de Bueras, later continued the work, and finished the church in 1664. The church replaced the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul (16th century), which had been demolished to create the
The church was consecrated on 23 September 1651, thirteen years before its completion. It was initially associated with the Jesuit Order and dedicated to
Two years later, in 1769, the church was rededicated to
In 1885, with the establishment of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid, the church became the pro-cathedral of the city. The church held that rank until the current Almudena Cathedral was completed in 1993, at which point San Isidro returned to its collegiate status. Until Almudena Cathedral was completed, the building housed images of the Virgin, St. Isidro and the Christ of the Good Death, works of art by Juan de Mesa.
In 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, the building caught fire, which destroyed many works of art, including the altarpiece of Ventura Rodríguez, as well as paintings by Luca Giordano Ricci. The fire also caused the collapse of the dome. After the war the church was painstakingly restored over two decades, with restorationists attempting to recover the original features. This restoration culminated in the 1960s with the rise of a new section on the towers of the facade by the architect Javier Barroso. A remarkably faithful replica of the high altar of Ventura Rodríguez was also made. The restoration of one of the chapels (Our Lady of the Carmen or the Lady of the Sailors chapel) was paid for by the British Embassy in Madrid and the
See also
Sources
- ^ "Basílica Ex-Catedral de San Isidro". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
External links
Media related to Colegiata de San Isidro at Wikimedia Commons
