La hermitage of the Vi
port management It is located on the Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, in the vicinity of the Royal Palace.
Work of Pedro de Ribera, was built between 1716 and 1718 thanks to Antonio de Salcedo y Aguirre, first Marquis of Vadillo, then mayor of Madrid.
The hermitage had its origin in the carved image of the Virgin of the Port existing inside. being king Philip V The mayor of Madrid, the Marquis of Vadillo, commissioned a young Pedro de Ribera to organize the surroundings of the old Alcázar and beautify its surroundings. It was the first major work that Ribera carried out in Madrid, organizing the land that was between the Manzanares river (Campos de la Tela) and the Campo del Moro garden. The promenade and grove were called Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto in honor of the patron saint of Plasencia, a city of which the Marquis of Vadillo had been mayor years before.
It is one of the first manifestations of baroque architecture in Spain. The façade is marked by two towers, each crowned by bells and spiers. The portal is lintel. The interior of the hermitage was built in the Bourbon period with an octagonal chapel. Inside you can see the tomb of
the Marquis of Vadillo, also made by Pedro de Ribera.
The hermitage was completely destroyed during the Civil War during the defense of Madrid, along with the carving of the virgin located inside.
It must be taken into account that the front of the War was very close for almost two years. Some say that it was attacked and burned by the “reds” although it seems that it was actually a bomb dropped from a Franco plane that caused the main damage. The hermitage is a reference point of our Madrid bike route during the Civil War.
The hermitage was a meeting place for Galician and Basque washerwomen that washed on the banks of the river. It is very interesting to read Arthur Barea talk about the hermitage and its surroundings in The forging of a rebel.
It was rebuilt in 1945 by Chueca Goitia. For centuries it was the destination of the Madrid pilgrimage in adoration of the image of the Virgin of the Port that is inside, a custom that gave rise to the Melonera festival.
The esplanade around the hermitage served as a place for pilgrimages that were later moved to the Arganzuela Park. Initially they were celebrated by Galician and Asturian immigrants who congregated in Madrid and who came to celebrate dances dressed in their regional costumes. Its general shape was modeled on the hermitages in the gardens of the palace of the good retreat, was part of an interesting urban complex, the same as the Toledo bridge on the Manzanares River.
After the work of Madrid River, the hermitage looks great.
A abrazo.
I didn't know anything about this hermitage. My father is from a town near Plasencia where the Pilgrimage of the Virgin of Puerto is celebrated after Holy Week. The most curious thing is that instead of Extremadurans, of which there are many in Madrid, it was the Galicians and the Asturians who celebrated the festival.
From now on I will look at her with different eyes
Thank you very much Susana, I am also from near Plasencia, what a coincidence and indeed surprising that the Virgen del Puerto is not a sailor, but from Extremadura. In any case, knowledge of heritage always helps us understand it better and create more emotional ties with it.
A abrazo.