This one have not been in years, and wanted to show this part to my sons so we took the trek first by bus 46 to the Puente de los Franceses or bridge of the French and then walk back on Avenida de Valladolid to Paseo de la Florida and the Glorieta to arrive at the Royal Hermitage of Saint Anthony of Florida and Goya! We call it Real Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida! Where the painter Francisco de Goya is buried.. I like to update the text and links for you and me; hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Royal Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida is located in the square of the same name, and is considered as the only survivor of the three hermitages dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua that were on the outskirts of Madrid ( at one time there were Florida, Alemanes and Retiro). There are two similar hermitages that since 1929 have specialized in two aspects: one of them offers the public the wall decorations by Francisco de Goya (being also the painter’s museum and pantheon), while the other is enabled only for religious worship.
The followers of San Antonio were called in the Madrid of the 16C with the nickname: guinderos or cherry pickers literally. The reason for this appellation was that his devotees wore a scapular in the neck with the representation of a cherry and arrived on June 13 offered the so-called cherries of the saint. It is precisely when the congregation of the guinderos is founded, when the first hermitage is built in 1720. Shortly after being crowned King Carlos III ordered the demolition and new construction of the hermitage in 1768, then the hermitage of Sabatini was dismantled in the year 1792 on the occasion of a new urban remodeling of the area.
Carlos IV acquires the nearby Florida Palace, owned by the Marquis de Castel Rodrigo, to build a royal estate on his land. The works of the Royal Possession of Florida began immediately, between 1792 and 1798, including in the construction process of the nearby hermitage designed decades earlier by Sabatini. This meant the demolition of the hermitage, and the new stables of the Florida palace are built in its place. In 1792 the king himself laid the first stone of the hermitage, included in the event a time capsule consisting of gold coins with his effigy. The works finished in 1798.
At the beginning of the 21C, a neoclassical hermitage with a very simple Greek cross floor was built, with a dome with lanterns, on pedantries. The use of the hermitage was extended allowing the use of the chapel for worship, with what happened to be called San Antonio de la Florida. Inside Francisco de Goya painted some frescoes on this building in which he represented one of the saint’s most famous miracles. It is worth noting the representation of men and women dressed in majos (traditional men of Madrid) and chisperos (or working class men). The hermitage was converted into a parish in 1881 by the Royal Heritage giving the hermitage in usufruct to the archbishop of Toledo. Precisely when the popular festival of San Antonio de la Florida begins to be celebrated nearby..
In 1919 the remains of Goya were transferred from the Sacramental of San Isidro to the hermitage. An image of the sculptured painter was also placed. Concern about the state of conservation of the frescoes of Goya caused to commissioned a new hermitage that began to be built in 1925. This new hermitage, twin of the previous one, was dedicated exclusively to religious offices. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando is responsible for the care of the hermitage, where Mass is celebrated on March 30 and April 16, dates of the birth and death of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. The Aragonese (Goya) , as a chamber painter, was in charge of making the decoration of the hermitage, work that he carried out in six months, between August and December of the year 1798. At the foot of the presbytery is the painter’s pantheon, in which the gravestone he had in the cemetery of Bordeaux, city in which he died, is preserved. Martín Miguel de Goicoechea, his great friend, is buried next to him. On September 29, 1919 they were buried together, to avoid a possible error in the identification of the mortal remains. Goya’s body lacks a skull, as it was probably separated from the trunk for phrenological analysis.
On June 13, the traditional festival (verbena) of San Antonio is celebrated every year near the hermitages, in the area known as La Bombilla (a park), which goes to the Puente de los Franceses or bridge of the French (which we walked). The Royal Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida is located in the Glorieta de San Antonio, 5, on the banks of the Manzanares River. A convergence in which the Paseo de la Florida and Avenida de Valladolid joins. From the Principe Pio station you can reach the hermitages by walking along the Paseo de la Florida where the avenue of Valladolid begins.(as we did too) EMT buses on Lines 41, 46 (we took it) and 75. Metro lines 6 and 10 as well as the R radial of Opera-Principe Pio.
The Madrid tourist office on the Royal Hermitage: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/ermita-de-san-antonio-de-la-florida
The Spanish Royal National Heritage on Chapel of San Antonio de la Florida: https://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/visita/chapel-san-antonio-de-la-florida
There you go folks, you should make the trek,step out from touristic centro; with public transport is easy and great areas to see around. The Ermita Real San Antonio de la Florida is worth the detour and of course to admire the paintings of Francisco de Goya anytime! as is Madrid ! Hope you enjoy it as I,
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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