San Isidro (Madrid)
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San Isidro el Real is a baroque collegiate church in Madrid , Spain . The former Jesuit church from the 17th century was later dedicated to St. Isidore of Madrid , whose remains and those of his wife María de la Cabeza are kept in the church. Located near Plaza Mayor , the church was the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of Madrid until the Almudena Cathedral was consecrated in 1993 . It bears the title of a minor basilica and is a protected cultural asset as a Bien de Interés Cultural .
history
In place of the Church of St. Peter and Paul, which was built in 1563, the Jesuit architect Pedro Sánchez designed a baroque church in 1620 , construction of which began two years later. This new building was arranged by Maria of Spain , daughter of Charles V , in her will she bequeathed her property to the Jesuits and ordered the construction of a new church on the site of the old parish church. Sánchez directed the work until 1633. After his death that year, work continued under Francisco Bautista and Melchor de Bueras, which was completed in 1664.
The church was consecrated by Nuncio Felice Rospigliosi on September 23, 1651 , thirteen years before the building was completed. It was dedicated to the Spanish Jesuit missionary Franz Xavier . After the Jesuits were expelled from Spain in 1676, the church officially became a collegiate church. Two years later the church was dedicated to St. Isidore consecrated. His remains were transferred from the Church of St. Isidorus, where they had been since the beginning of the sixteenth century, and interred with the suspected remains of his wife, María de la Cabeza . The interior of the church was redesigned in a classical style by the architect Ventura Rodríguez . He designed a new choir and a new high altar. He also gave the church a rich interior decoration. He removed the monstrance from the niche and put the rich silver urn with the relics of San Isidro and the statues of virtue by Juan Pascual de Mena, Manuel Álvarez and Francisco Gutiérrez in its place.
Right at the start of the Spanish Civil War , a fire broke out in the church in 1936, destroying many works of art, including the altar by Ventura Rodríguez and some paintings by Francisco Rizi and Luca Giordano . The dome also collapsed as a result of the fire. After the war, the church was restored for a period of 20 years. Attempts were made to restore the church to its pre-war state as much as possible. The restoration was completed in 1960. The two towers in the facade had been given an additional floor according to the design by the architect Javier Barroso. A faithful replica of the altar by Ventura Rodríguez has been made.
description
The new Baroque style of the church is inspired by the Il Gesù Church in Rome, such as the floor plan in the form of a Latin cross with a single transept, side chapels and a dome . The main and transepts are covered with barrel vaults, the chapels with groined vaults .
The granite facade consists of a central section with four columns in the Corinthian style with a group of sculptures of Isidorus and his wife in the middle. The capitals were made by Francisco Bautista. There are two pairs of Corinthian columns on either side of the central part. These represent the outlines of the church towers. The towers have a square shape. The upper octagonal floor was added to the 20th century restoration. The crossing dome was also designed by Francisco Bautista with a lantern . The combination of wood and cement meant that the load-bearing walls had to bear less weight.
The rich interior was badly damaged by the 1936 fire. The sarcophagus with the remains of Isidore could be saved. Today it is kept in the main altar.
Web links
- San Isidro y el Barroco madrileño (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Basílica Ex-Catedral de San Isidro on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Antigua Catedral de San Isidro (Spanish)
Coordinates: 40 ° 24 ′ 46 " N , 3 ° 42 ′ 25" W.