Madrid is one of the cities most visited in the world, in part thanks to its impressive historic buildings and museums. The capital of Spain It has countless wonderful churches and temples that millions of people visit every year to discover the beauty and majesty of these buildings that are hundreds of years old.
The churches Madrid They tell unique stories through their facades, frescoes, domes and altarpieces. There are larger and more surprising ones, and more modest and cozy ones, but all of them are a true wonder that you have to visit at least once in your life. Perhaps the most famous of all of them is the Cathedral of Santa MarÃa la Real de la Almudena, but it wasn’t always like that.
Overshadowed by the imposing façade of the Prado Museum and practically hidden between large buildings, lives a beautiful church with hundreds of years of history and that for many is considered the authentic cathedral of Madrid. When you see it for the first time you can’t stop doing it, we talk about the Church of the Jerónimos or San Jerónimo.
The church of San Jerónimo in Madrid
This beautiful church is popularly known as Los Jerónimos, although its original name is San Jerónimo. This temple was built under the order of the Catholic Kings and since then it has been used by numerous monarchs as a temple of worship. Furthermore, it was the privileged enclave where the the wedding of King Alfonso XIII.
The origin of San Jerónimo dates back to 1464, thanks to King Henry IV of Castile, who founded a monastery near the Manzanares River, in the vicinity of El Prado. But that location was not suitable, since the sanitary conditions were very poor, so the queen Isabella the Catholic It ended up changing its location to its current location in 1503 and gave it the name Prado de San Jerónimo.
For many years this church was considered the Madrid cathedral because there was no official to fulfill those functions. Due to this historical legacy that has been passed from generation to generation, many people continue to consider the church of San Jerónimo to be Madrid’s cathedral. It was one of the most important Christian temples in the city and the scene of great swearing-in ceremonies for the heirs to the crown.
Today, many parts of the original church are still preserved, although others, such as the cloister, had to be rebuilt due to their great deterioration. To avoid the loss of this space, an agreement was reached with the Prado Museum by which this part of the church would be incorporated into the museum as part of its expansion.
This impressive building is an absolute marvel that few know about and that is worth visiting when you travel to Madrid. For many it is the authentic cathedral of the capital and, although the official one is that of Almudena, this beautiful church also has endless charms that make it unique and majestic.