At one end of the Madrid River We find two twin hermitages that hide a secret. With a very simple appearance, the hermitage of Saint Anthony of Florida a surprise awaits us, the grandiose pictorial ensemble that Goya painted at the end of the 13th century. A masterpiece of Spanish art, the brilliant Aragonese artist always kept in mind that he was decorating one of the most popular temples in Madrid, located on the banks of the Manzanares and famous for its June XNUMX pilgrimage.

Devotion to San Antonio de Padua was deeply rooted among the people of Madrid. Patron saint of unmarried girls and especially of the dressmakers who, dressed in cheerful and colorful shawls, went to the hermitage on the Saint's Day to ask for a good groom. There they placed thirteen pins in the font of holy water. Later they would insert their hand and those who remained stuck in the palm were the suitors they were going to have, then they would light several candles and say a prayer. Next to the Hermitage, a festival was held, the famous one for San Antonio, with dances, snacks and street stalls. This tradition is preserved today and is one of the few that is still maintained in the capital.

The hermitage was built in front of the Abanico fountain by order of Charles IV. Architect's work Francisco de Fontana, its plan is a Greek cross with very short arms and a semicircular apse at the head, this creates a central space dominated by a large dome illuminated by a lantern. Around the hermitage there are attached rooms forming a rectangle. The main façade is built according to the baroque canon.

In 1905 it was declared a National Monument to guarantee its conservation; since 1919 the mortal remains of Francisco de Goya have rested there, brought from Bordeaux where he died in 1828. In 1928, an identical temple was built next to it to move the cult and reserve the original as Goya museum. It is one of the best examples of Madrid's neoclassical style, but it is Goya's frescoes that make the hermitage of San Antonio an essential stop in Madrid. In the apse the Adoration of the Trinity is represented. In the dome, around a fake railing and with a landscape background, a multitude of town characters attend the Miracle of San Antonio. Above the cornice, cherubs and “angels” of great beauty draw curtains. The altarpieces were later painted by Jacinto Gómez Pastor.

Admission is free and is an excellent complement to a bike tour through Madrid Río. Right next door we find the Asturian tavern Casa Mingo, a famous meeting point to enjoy a choricito, a portion of Cabrales or their famous roast chickens with a glass of cider.

A abrazo.