Great pleasure in bringing you back to my dear Spain! Again, this is a memorable post on wonderful architecturally and historical town, I am updating on a new post on this monument with older pictures ,and new texts and links for you and me, Thanks for those who have follow me thru the years , appreciated. Let me tell you about the curiosities of Chinchon !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
My favorites areas since childhood, Comunidad de Madrid or old Castile, of which Madrid is part and also Chinchon. I have written before on Chinchon, and hope you have read the posts. However, this is the main monument me think, and would like to tell you on this monument recently renovated by the City to continue hosting bullfights.
First a bit of Spanish geography and directions. Chinchón is located in the region of Las Vegas, 44 km from Madrid. From Madrid you can reach Chinchón by the highway A-3 taking the detour of the M-307, shortly before reaching Arganda. From there take the roads M-311 and then the M-313 to Chinchón. It can also be reached by the A-4, taking the turnoff of the M-404, shortly after Valdemoro, which takes us through Ciempozuelos and Titulcia to Chinchón. From Conde de Casal (next to metro station same name) bus stop in Madrid you can take bus line 337, to Chinchon terminus Valdelaguna.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción or Our Lady of the Assumption Church is located at Calle de Don Florencio, 3 ,seen from the Plaza Mayor, Construction of the church began in 1534, but work was not completed until 1626. Its interior displays a variety of architectural styles: Gothic, Plateresque, Renaissance, and Baroque.The bell tower was left out of the church’s construction, as at the beginning of its construction, this temple was used solely by the Counts of Chinchón. One of the church’s hidden attractions lies on the exterior, as its location high above the town offers sublime views of the area. The Our Lady of the Assumption Church suffered significant damage during the Peninsular War, primarily affecting the roof and ornamentation. Francisco de Goya painted a canvas to decorate the church, The Assumption of the Virgin, located in the center of the main altar in 1812, at the request of his brother Camilo, the church’s chaplain. There is a labyrinth of cobbled streets that go up to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion but worth the walk indeed.
This Church of Our Lady of the Assumption was originally known as the Church of La Piedad,(pity) was also burned and looted by the French in 1808. When it was rebuilt years later, it was conceived as a single-nave church without a tower. It was renamed after the Goya painting that hung in its main altarpiece and still remains there today. This work of art has only left its walls three times, one of which was during the Spanish Civil War. According to legend, it was transported on stretchers, encased in a coffin like a corpse, to France. This is how they managed to keep it safe from bombs and looting.
The Casa de la Cadena in the Plaza del Convento very close to the Plaza Mayor (see post) , It was the lodging place of King Felipe V, as he passed through Chinchón and slept the night of February 25, 1706. It is a baroque building from the late 17C with the orderly facade of three bodies, with access door lintel. For this reason, there is a chain on the door of the house, commemorating this event. It is a three-story building with an aristocratic feel, featuring a sculpted hand tightly holding a cross, accompanied by an inscription. Inside, there is a beautiful courtyard supported by columns, around which the other rooms of this stately home are accessed. Good looking architecture in city center.
The Convento de las Madres Clarisas or the Convent of the Poor Clares ; tell us the history of it that when Don Andrés de Cabrera and Doña Beatriz de Bobadilla arrived in Chinchón, they built a palace to live in, a fortress castle to defend their dominion, and also, as good Christians, they founded a monastery that they entrusted to the Order of Saint Augustine. Furthermore, they expressed their desire to also found a convent for nuns. It was, therefore, the 3rd Count of Chinchón, Don Diego Fernández Cabrera Bobadilla, and his wife Doña Inés Pacheco, daughter of the Marquises of Villena, who made their ancestors’ wish come true, although it was not until the 5th Count of Chinchón, Don Francisco Fausto Fernández de Cabrera y Bobadilla, who finally completed it. The construction began in 1597, but there is a discrepancy in the date of the completion of the convent. Several chroniclers place it in 1663, although according to another, it occurred ten years earlier. According to this source, which may be more reliable, on October 28, 1653, the Count elected Juana de la Santísima Trinidad as his first abbess. Juana Fernández de Pacheco y de Portugal, a native of Escalona, daughter of the Marquises of Villena, granddaughter of the Infantes of Portugal, and cousin of the founding counts, who had professed at the Convent of the Descalzas Reales (see post) in Madrid in 1617. Architecturally, the convent is Baroque in design, with brick and coffered masonry walls. The entrance to the church is on one side with a stone lintelled doorway, a brick niche, and the coat of arms of the Counts. This coat of arms is repeated above the entrance to the cloister from the courtyard.
The town of Chinchon on its heritage: https://ciudad-chinchon.com/turismo/conoce-chinchon/lugares-interes/edificios-religiosos.php
The Comunidad de Madrid regional tourist office on Chinchon: https://www.visitmadrid.es/donde-ir/villas-madrid/chinchon
The Madrid tourist office on Chinchon : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/chinchon
There you go folks, a nice day in Chinchon a typical Madrileno town not far from Madrid and yet in the countryside. Wonderful monuments full of nice architecture and great history, worth the detour, me think. Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Chinchon as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 