The Church Cathedral Castrense of Madrid, part II !!

Posted in Europe, Madrid, Spain

And moving right alone on my latest haunt in my dear Madrid. I have come by here several times and lately been able to go inside. One of the off the beaten path Churches of Madrid ! I like to tell you of my latest passing on the Church of the Sacrement or Iglesia del Sacramento, also, the Iglesia Catedral Castrense ,part II !! or otherwise known as the Armed Forces Church !! I have a previous post under the name Iglesia del Sacramento. Hope you enjoy this latest post on it as I.

Madrid ch Catedral Castrense front afar jul23

The Church Cathedral Castrense is none other than a former Bernardine nuns convent founded in 1615. The church itself was only built between 1671 and 1744. The church is a pure model of the Madrid Baroque style, whether because of the shape of the nave or the architecture inside. Outside, its granite facade and its three columns give it a more flamboyant appearance than ever to differentiate itself from other buildings in the district.  I came to the small wonderful quaint Catédral Castrense at calle del Sacramento 11,  off the Calle Mayor. It is next to the Palace of the Dukes of Uceda, in front of Casa Ciriaco.

Madrid ch Catedral Castrense nave to altar jul23

The most surprising thing, as I say, is inside. The ornate dome, the tall columns topped with complex capitals, the altarpieces, the height of their ceilings. And, above this, the color of the light that enters through the magnificent lantern and fills the entire space. Also noteworthy are the frescoes by the brothers Luis, Antonio and Alejandro González Velázquez adorning the ceilings. Between the two Corinthian columns of the main altarpiece is a painting by Gregorio Ferro called San Bernardo and San Benito adoring the Eucharist. Two other paintings by Luca Giordano complete the other altarpieces.

Madrid ch Catedral Castrense organ back jul23

During the Spanish Civil War, the convent and the church suffered significant damage that forced a first reconstruction. Later, in the 70s of the 20C, the convent was demolished to build houses. The church of Sacramento was left standing and became the Cathedral Church of the Armed Forces in the early 1980s. The splendor that we can see today is due to the remodeling and embellishment works that were carried out in the year 2000. One of the most followed Holy Week processions ends in this church. On Good Friday, the Christ of the Alabarderos leaves the Royal Palace and, after a tour of Madrid de los Austrias, returns to its place in the Cathedral of the Armed Forces.

Madrid ch Catedral Castrense chapel right jul23

Madrid ch Catedral Castrense chapel left jul23

The Madrid tourist office on the church : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/iglesia-de-sacramento

And this is the Archbishop’s site with plenty of gorgeous pictures on the church: https://www.arzobispadocastrense.com/arzobispado/iglesia-catedral-de-las-fas

There you go folks, another fine find in my dear Madrid, This is worth the detour to see the Iglesia Catedral Castrense, part II !! or Iglesia del Sacramento or Iglesia de las Fuerzas Armadas with a wonderful history and architecture of my Madrid, Again, hope you have enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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