Hidden treasure in Madrid

When I was told that in Madrid you could find some Goya's frescoes, I didn't believe it. After a quick research, I found said frescoes, and amazed, I planned to visit the Hermitage they are in one of the days during my visit to the city.

The Ermita of San Antonio de la Florida is located in the in the Florida Zone, in Madrid, near Principe Pio. It was an hermitage, built following a Neoclassical style, by order of Charles IV. In 1905, the Church was declared Monuments of cultural interest. This seemingly uninteresting church hides an amazing secret, Goya frescoes and even it's author's tomb.

Goya was very conscious of the fact that he was decorating one of the most popular temples in Madrid, dedicated to the patron of single women and famous for his fair. This explains the profane and festive air of the paintings, which even tell the story of the Saint. The Saint resucitates a murderer man so he can testify in defense of his own father, who has been accused of the crime.

Goya painted the Church of San Antonio de la Florida between on 15th July and on 20th December 1798. This masterwork represents religious characters and religious actions. In particular the main figures of these Frescoes are the Women-Angel and the image of San Antonio, which is painted in the dome.

Goya took advantage the natural light sources, in fact the only aperture is the skylight posed on the dome, in this way the San Antonio’s Fresco is more illuminated than the others. Another particularity is about the Goya’s painting technique, indeed, some painted parts, called Jornadas (single parts which are painted in one day), are bigger than usually. This is symbol of Goya’s capacity to paint very fast.

This is a remarkable stop for anyone interested in art, admires Goya's work or simply wants to discover a little known treasure in Madrid.

In this video you can learn more about the details of the frescoes.

Image credits. Alamy