be laziness, lack of time, being out of the way of cultural routes so favored by these and other reasons, alone or in combination, the question is that after over half a century of residence in Madrid have not known before the hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida, mortal sin of which I ask now apologize to the sky, taking as penance for my acquittal uncertain, to recommend to those other sinners in my very circumstance that the sooner expiate their guilt and get ready to visit this small chapel museum now considered the Sistine Chapel of the eighteenth century. "
Those who decide to follow this recommendation, would do well to gain entry, the modest price of € 1 (less than the cost of a newspaper), the brochure " Goya frescoes. Guide to the hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida " edited by Patrimonio Nacional, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and the Municipality of Madrid, whose author is Maria Jose Rivas Capelo, a specialist in art and devotional history of the chapel that gives us an accurate guide, very well written on which we rely, along with other complementary inputs for the preparation of this article 1 disclosure. Historical introduction
In the past, the left bank of the Manzanares, where the shrine is located (Glorieta de San Antonio de la Florida, 5) was a peaceful spot, with gardens and trees where the locals used to come to bask, a practice that lasted until our days with the traditional procession of San Antonio de la Florida " the first verbena God sends." Popular devotion to the saint, patron of unmarried young girl, especially the dressmakers was very rooted in the history of Villa del Oso y del Madroño 2.
already in its immediate vicinity since the seventeenth century, there was a small shrine with an image of Our Lady of Grace for the devotion of the Manzanares laundry. In 1720, the Ranger an institution known as Receipt of the real income of the Puerta Vieja de San Vicente commissioned architect Joseph Churriguera the construction of a real chapel, consecrated to the Virgin herself, but counting on the inside with a picture of San Antonio, sculptor Juan de Villanueva , father of the famous architect, which " reached such fame and veneration which soon became the patron saint ."
destroyed the first chapel 3 in 1768, to build the new road of Castile, had to build another two years later (1770), being the author of the bill Francisco Sabatini but this lasted not long, for the works remodeling del palacio y jardines de la finca denominada La Florida 4 , adquirida por Carlos IV, a instancias de su esposa, la reina María Luisa, al marques de Castel-Rodrigo, originaron de nuevo el derribo de la ermita y la erección finalmente de una nueva en su emplazamiento actual, edificada entre 1792 y 1799, según diseños del italiano Felipe Fontana (1744-1800).
Fue el propio Carlos IV, seguramente por medio de Jovellanos, a la sazón ministro de Gracia y Justicia, quien encargó a Goya la decoración de la ermita. El pintor aragonés, entonces en el pináculo de su fama, comenzó a preparar los bocetos el 15 de junio de 1798 y se sabe que, a partir del 1 de agosto, se trasladaba diariamente from his home in rented car, to paint the chapel, for 120 " days" or days. Finally
July 11, 1798, the King, who bears all the work, opened the shrine as a royal chapel with great pomp and solemnity.
In 1881, at the request of the archbishop of Toledo, San Antonio de la Florida, belonging to the Royal Heritage, free palatal parish was ceded by the usufructuary to install the new parish of San Antonio Madrid. Since then, the intensification of the cult of the parish use, it was found that the smoke of incense and candles were seriously damaging the paintings of Goya in the church, declared a National Monument in 1905.
In 1919 there was a significant event in the story we're telling: the move to the chapel as a place more suitable to his eternal rest, Goya's remains, buried since his death in 1828 in the pantheon of Goicoechea in Bordeaux and in 1900 moved to Madrid's San Isidro Cemetery.
In 1928, the centenary of the painter's death, and to ensure the conservation of paintings, was built next door, by the architect Juan Moya Idígoras (1867-1953), a church , an exact replica of the former, for the service parish, leaving only the old chapel as a museum, by the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
During the Civil War, Florida was in the front line and caused damage and humidity in the vault, in the segment of the feet, causing damage in paintings (two of the "angels", the most famous and reproduced) that were repaired in 1940, under the direction of restaurateur Manuel Grau and More.
In 1987, the National Heritage Memorial gave the custody of the City of Madrid has carried out rehabilitation of the building and a new intervention in the paintings, completed in 2005. Known these essential
reference points, we are able to start our visit to the shrine, starting
The exterior of the two chapels
twin on the right, as viewed from the front, the old, museum-pantheon that we visit .
The church is small, sober and elegant in its proportions pair of Neoclassical style, with a mixture of Baroque elements, designed, as we said, by the Bolognese architect and designer for the king of Spain, Felipe Fontana (1744-1800), whom we have little biographical information. It consists of a single body and attached side buildings. In the rectangular facade, Tuscan pilasters supporting a plain entablature topped by a curved pediment, within which there was a shield of the Crown, which was demolished in 1873, during the 1 st Republic 5 and window at the top. Caps a triangular pediment on which stands outside the graceful dome of six feet with a flashlight.
On the front right of the door a brass plaque informs visitors about the monument with the words:
Chapel San Antonio de la Florida.
Architect: Philip Fontana
Located on the former estate of Florida, is small
proportions and was designed in the neoclassical style. The
facade consists of a main body with two large
Doric pilasters and cornice surmounted by a triangular pediment.
Both sides stand two bodies united in their rear.
In its interior the dome with frescoes by Francisco de Goya
represent one of the miracles of San Antonio de Padua.
In 1905 he was declared of cultural interest and since 1919
found inside the tomb of the painter. In 1928, during
the centenary of the death of Goya, the architect Juan Moya
mate built a church for the service being the original parish chapel
as a museum-pantheon Goya 1792-1798
Let us
Interior. Admission is free. We left the left the cockpit information and control where they sell the publications and follow a hallway to the lobby or sacristy. On the left, on the wall, there is an interesting ewer which consists of two parts, bucket of stucco, and body colored vertical Siena marble with the date of completion of construction of the chapel, 1798. To the right of this, there is a small room where a video projected on the frescoes by Goya, whose vision is interesting, especially after the visit. On the ground
is the grave of the egregious lady, Maria Luisa de la Torre " first wife of Lt. General Don Francisco de Borbon Prince ", died July 7, 1887 June . Not believe that this prince, sir, that child was not even in Spain.
On the wall, a stone thanks to the Bank of Granada have paid for repairs to the chapel (05/30/1977) 7 . This would be before the bankruptcy of the bank. We
the ship. As raw morning, there is little visitors, bringing an atmosphere of silence pervades all space. I look first as a whole and in other decorative features before directing my attention to the outstanding paintings of Goya.
read in the newly acquired guide " The church has a Greek cross plan very short arms which gives a central character and allows to highlight the semi-circular dome on scallops, located in the center of the ship. On the walls is new pilasters with Corinthian capitals and bill defines a ledge with his tour provides agility and animation to the interior of the temple . "
The altar, neoclassical, is made stucco solution cheaper than marble, which imitates. To cap it, a group of sculptures in plaster, two classic angels bow to the triangle of the Trinity, the divine rays departing. Earlier in the great space of the niche was an image of San Antonio, polychrome wood, work " extolled by sculptor José Ginés Alicante (1768-1823), but moved to the new church in 1928, disappeared during the civil war , although there are pictures and photographs of the image. His place is a magnificent Christ in ivory and stone cross, filipino, the eighteenth century. On both sides of the sanctuary separate columns report the características artísticas de la ermita y de su contenido.
Tumba de Goya
A los pies del presbiterio esta la tumba de Goya, que es de granito y tiene adosada la misma lápida de mármol que señalaba su sepultura en el cementerio de Burdeos, con el mismo epitafio :
Hic Jacet
Franciscus a Goya et Lucientes
Hispaniensis pertissimus Pictor
magnaque sui nominis
celebritate notus.
Decurso, probe, lumine vitae
obiit XVI Kalendas Maii
ANNO DOMINE
M.DCCC.XVIII
aetatis suae
LXXXV
R.I.P.
En 1919, cuando fueron moved from the cemetery of San Isidro, the remains of Goya, was added a cross and bronze letters
GOYA
BORN IN MARCH 1746
FUENDETODOS 30 DIED APRIL 16 1828 BORDEAUX
to Say lovers of curiosities that the Aragonese painter is not alone in his grave. He is accompanied by his friend Martin Consuegra and Miguel de Goicoechea, who died three years before. Goya in Bordeaux when he died, was buried in the grave and when, in 1900, moved his remains to the cemetery of San Isidro, also came from his friend fraternal. So in the grave there are two boxes containing the remains lead Goya and his friend and also a third box containing a parchment on which is recorded the act of burial with these words from the press at the time 8 :
"Reigning Don Alfonso XIII, with Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Mr. Don José del Prado y Palacios, and at his initiative, the remains of Francisco de Goya moved to the church of San Antonio de la Florida on November 29, 1919, from San Isidro Cemetery, where they were buried to be brought from Bordeaux on May 11, 1900.
missing in the skeleton's skull 9, because the death of the great painter, his head, as is fame, was entrusted to a physician for scientific study, but was reinstated after the burial and, therefore, be found to verify the exhumation in that French city.
addition, in case of lead, coming at the same time as those of Goya, the remains of his friend D. Martín Miguel de Goicoechea Alsasua born on October 7, 1755 and died in Bordeaux on June 30 de1825 and family vault in which the famous artist was buried on May 16, 1828. "
side altars and liturgical objects
These altars are also of stucco, adorned with cherubs and garlands classic imitation bronze. The oil paintings, painted shortly after the frescoes by Goya, are Jacinto Gomez Pastor (1746-1812), cousin of the painter Vincent Gomez 10 , court painter to Charles IV and represent San Isidro and San Luis de France , patron of Madrid and Paris, respectively (Epistle side) and Borrromeo Immaculate with San Carlos and San Fernando (Gospel side).
The beautiful central chandelier, " of elegant neoclassical invoice, gilt bronze, is the palace Sunday Urquiza goldsmith and is decorated with a group of three angels at the base, of which one is watching On entering and inviting go to the devotee. Inside the latter three pigeons disappeared today claimed the oil lamps. The strings imitate the Golden Fleece, order that owned the English monarchs. As Elías Tormo, "Don Alfonso XIII make Felix Granda made replica of it for the church in New York neighbor of the Hispanic Society, which sponsored the building Hispanist Huntington" 11.
Several other pieces of silver, besides chandeliers, Urquiza also work, including a custody portapaz and adorned the chapel is located in the Palacio Real, which also preserves a wooden crucifix a Christ painting attributed to Mariano Salvador Maella, and whose reverse indicates that comes from the old sacristy of San Antonio de la Florida.
Goya's frescoes
and consider all the above details, I am prepared to contemplate at my ease and photograph, by the way, the paintings of Goya. Only then me warning of the presence of an employee, stationed "in the corner in a dark corner" that I correctly warned of the prohibition of taking photographs. So that follows is the only I could get inside the temple .
When ordering decor Goya painting of the church, was 52 years and was the most celebrated painter of his time. As noted above, the great Aragonese decoration began in August 1798, work lasting two to three months. The great originality of the paintings suggests that Goya worked on them too freely, without any interference and took the occasion to write to taste all the paintings.
is not known whether the matter was referred to the paintings (most likely) or out of their own choice. In any case, the theme was the "miracle of San Antonio, when they found the miracle in Padua Franciscan saint, received word that his father, Martinho, and other family members had been formally charged with murder in Lisbon. Moved miraculously (bilocation) to the city and the place of trial, he asked to bring the dead to declare whether or not his father was the murderer. Then he raised his lying and proclaimed the innocence of the accused, " to the admiration and astonishment of the audience "
This supposedly happened in the thirteenth century, but Goya, in a free and personal interpretation, moved the miracle to the environment eighteenth-century Madrid, investing further in its composition, the usual terms of the decoration of the churches where it was normal that the earth episode is located in the lower reserve the dome for the scene of glory.
Goya did in the chapel opposite. He put the miracle in the high and glory, with his customary cut of angels in the lower vaults. This new form solves it by contriving to pull back the curtains to simulate angels like a stage and show the viewer what happens above .
But it is time to describe what we are seeing, with the help of mirrors conveniently located, as demanded Tormo. In the dome, a motley crowd attending the miracle around a mock rail. The characters are lisboetas XII century but eighteenth-century Madrid the banks of the Manzanares: women, men, beggars, peasants, children, young fellow with their owners. A whole theater world in which every character takes a certain attitude and a willingness around the miracle that takes place before your eyes: some seem amazed, amazed others, self-absorbed to look or talk among themselves holy, even some appear distracted or outside or children, spontaneous attitude, hanging from the railing, not to lose the scene.
scholars paints the scene conventionally divided into several groups. In the northeastern side of the dome is located the main group in which stands the figure of the saint, placed on a rock at the time relied on the deceased to testify. Proud of gesture and expression are the figures of the man holding the emaciated corpse of the woman with arms outstretched imploringly. Follow pestles group, three girls who look whisper among them, excelling the young beautiful, black eyes with hands clasped under her chin. Beside her male figures, some rather exotic features. Here are two figures of great sensitivity, superb color both a blonde that looks carefully the young man with him, turned to the miracle. Then a disturbing character with long hair, does a matchmaker? that seems to be looking at viewer. A white shawl run along the railing next piece of sill used the figure of a woman wearing a colorful shawl which looks at the man standing with arms outstretched, seems transfixed by a deep religious faith, Below, a him, splendid figure of another woman, red skirt and white shawl over the railing and angled downward.
say it may be self-portrait of Goya the body wrapped in a black cloak 
that follows, which is sitting next to a lady, wrapped in a cloak only to watch your delicate features. Follow the sector of beggars, different characters which support each other highlighting the position of "toothless beggar " of chalequillo blue. But next to a miracle, a man and a woman look completely shocked, while to his right, another does the real murderer?, Dressed in yellow jersey, it seems to flee the scene in a hurry. Behind the holy man dressed in gray raises his arm to heaven, while two children climbed over the railing to better view the scene. All this real and magical world at the time elapses on a background of landscapes and trees .
Let's walk our eyes to the vaults and walls on the sides of windows. Allí se disponen las “ángelas” que descorren las cortinas, mujeres “ de gran sensualidad y belleza ”, vestidas con finas túnicas, que tanto llamaron la atención de los estudiosos del siglo XIX. Parecen figuras muy modernas, prerrománticas, en especial, las “ángelas” rubias, tanto la del arco toral del ábside que tiene las manos juntas como la del luneto derecho que lleva el pelo recogido con una cinta. En el arco de los pies están las dos “ángelas” juntas que resultaron dañadas en la guerra civil y que fueron restauradas, primero en 1940 y luego hace pocos años. Algunos pensaron que estas “ángelas” eran demasiado profanas and even irreverent. I think they are of extraordinary beauty. The scallops
, Goya painted angels playing one of his favorite themes, and finally in the apse the main scene of glory, the Trinity. Choirs of angels in prayerful attitude is grouped around the sculpture, creating an atmosphere of golden tones. It is perhaps the most traditional and conservative part of this whole wonderful, " wonder of grace and seduction " as defined Tormo.
Two words on the execution mode. To paint these frescoes, Goya began each "day" (working day) spread over a layer of mortar wall wet lime and sand. In this rendering then drew the grounds with the aid of punch cards and then before it dries, apply the pigments mixed with water using sponges. Then on the sketches, with a touch of brush was forming the faces, shapes and clothing. Is a very bold, suitable only for great teachers. Some panels
realize the work done during the long restoration process that have passed these fresh and has covered several stages: from 1989 to 1994 in 2001, during the last fifteen months and September 2003 April 2005.
is not our intention in this long article to weigh the value and the quality of these fresh, nor reproduce the critical judgments of who better studied (Camon Aznar, Lafuente Ferrari, Reel Parrondo, Pita Andrade, among others), just to state that Goya in San Antonio de la Florida shows as the first modern painter, to use, according to its own laws, a quasi-autonomous universe in which people live heavenly figures in the real world, a world of beauty and a cheerful and colorful, but dark, hopeless and even ugliness culminating, no longer any good mix, in the "Black Paintings." Reader
you've endured so far this clumsy exposition. Hurry up to visit this spring saint's shrine and enjoy the beautiful with the contemplation of these paintings. It's advice that, surely thank me.
©
Manuel Martínez Bargueño
May 2011
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Manuelblas
NOTES
1. Who wants to extend this information, I recommend the book "San Antonio Florida and Goya. The restoration of the frescoes ", edited by Art Turner. Madrid 2008, coordinated by José Manuel Pita Andrade, with the participation of various specialists including Maia Jose Rivas Capelo.
2. All the 13 June, the day of San Antonio, came to the hermitage of dressmakers, dressed in their shawls to ask the saint a good boyfriend, depositing thirteen Alfileritos that purpose in the holy water is in the lobby entrance to the temple. The Alfileritos that by putting your hand in the water, they stuck in it, were the suitors that they would have. After several lit candles and prayed a prayer to the saint. At the same time had the blessing of the loaves and its distribution among the faithful.
3. According to old maps and descriptions, this chapel was erected at the foot of the road from the Palace down to the river, "in the roundabout in front of the present Principe Pio station, and had a hexagonal, dome spire and stucco decorations inside Baroque Madrid.
4. The present church of San Antonio de la Florida is all that remains of the royal site of Florida, which since 1859 was released by the Crown, first for the construction of the headquarters of the Mountain and the area of \u200b\u200bArguelles and finally railway station.
5. It also could be during the Revolution "Glorious" in 1868.
6. In-network-ing I hear that Dona Maria Luisa de la Torre and Basave, here buried with a special permit, according to the Book of Death of the Church, was born in the parish of St. Hilary of Guamutas, Matanzas (Cuba) on May 14, 1856, daughter of Jose Maria de la Torre and María Dolores Armenteros and Bassave and Ciboure, wealthy Cuban landowners. Married in New York on September 15, 1877 (another time and place, Havana, September 15, 1882) with Lt. Gen. Francisco de Paula de Borbon y Castellvi (1853-1942), scion of the Infante Don Francisco de Paula de Borbón , Duke of Cádiz, son of Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma (thus, a cousin of Alfonso XII) and had five children. After the death of his first wife, her husband, remarried on February 15 1890, with another Cuban, Felisa de Leon y Navarro de Balboa, Marquesa de Balboa (1861-1943).
7. The work was funded by the President of the Bank of Granada and the Academy of Fine Arts, Miguel Rodríguez-Acosta, in gratitude for the award of the Medal of Honor of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The restoration works were directed by Fernando Chueca Goitia and ended in May 1977. The Bank of Grenada collapsed in 1978 and underwent surgery the following year by the Bank of Spain at a cost of remediation of 58.4 million euros.
8. " The figure of the Week: Goya ." New World December 5, 1919. Among personalities who attended the event is recognized in the photograph published by ABC (November 30, 1919) Eduardo Dato, the Count of Romanones and Dr. Marañón.
9. On the whereabouts of the head of Goya have developed various hypotheses. The most widespread is that Dr. Lafargue beheaded the corpse for a phrenological study of genius. In 1849 it seems that Goya's skull was held by the artist Dionisio Ferros came to represent on canvas. The most tricky is that the skull disappeared when a son of the painter, a medical student in Salamanca blew it up into pieces as a result of an experiment.
10. Both were disciples of Bayeu and Maella and exercised both the fresco and the easel.
11. Elías Tormo. " The churches of Madrid. Reissue of the two issues published in 1927 ." Institute of Spain, 1972, pg. 88.
Leaving 
an appetizer, I leave the first question in each of the interviews that I will hang on the personal page of each of them. I assure you that some answers have no waste. 
The Arona will travel next week to try to remove part of all this work on the track. 
In their speaking time was short, a man of few words, but his words of thanks went to his club and his training group: Dani, Agus, Salva, Jordi, Dori, and the rest. 
