I take you back to my dear Madrid to heaven and a hole in the sky to look down on it everyday !!! This church is in a popular area but seldom visited I just took a peek and was impressed, looking forward to be back for up close and personal visit, For now, let me take you to the Parish Church San Millán and San Cayetano of Madrid !!! Hope you enjoy it as I,
The Baroque-style Church San Millán and San Cayetano is located at no,15 Calle de Embajadores. The current Church originated as the church of the now-demolished Convent of Nuestra Señora del Favor. An oratory dedicated to Saint Mark and Our Lady of Favor once stood on this site, founded in 1612. The oratory was built on the site of some houses owned by the convent’s founders on Calle del Oso . Thirty-two years later, Father Plácido Mirto founded a Theatine house on the site. The church was then dedicated to Saint Cajetan of Thiene, co-founder of the Theatine Order. In 1822, during the Liberal Triennium, the government decreed the relocation of the Theatine friars to a convent in Zaragoza, leaving the original church completely abandoned. It was temporarily ceded to the Franciscan friars of San Gil, popularly known as the “Gilitos,” while their own convent, destroyed during the French occupation (1808), was rebuilt. In 1836, due to the Mendizábal Disentailment (separation Church and State), the convent itself was converted into housing, with only the original church remaining for religious services. In 1869, the parish of San Millán Abad, located in the Plaza de la Cebada, was moved to this church, thus creating the Parish Church of San Millán and San Cayetano.
The Parish Church San Millán and San Cayetano was set on fire with gasoline cans on July 19, 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, by far-left groups. Only the façade remained standing. In 1960, a commission of clergy and laypeople, which included the Duchess of Alba, approved the reconstruction of the church, which reopened for worship on August 6, 1962. The La Real e Ilustre hermandad de Nuestra Señora del Rocío ( Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Lady of El Rocío) of Madrid has had its canonical seat in the parish of San Millán and San Cayetano since 1970.
Construction of the church began in 1669, but it was not completed until 1761. The façade, was built of granite and consists of eight robust pilasters topped with composite capitals. The pilasters at either end frame the two towers, and between the four central pilasters are three semicircular archways. Above the arches of the façade, in richly decorated niches, were placed the statues of Saint Cajetan, Our Lady of Favor, and Saint Andrew Avellino. The church has a Greek cross floor plan, consisting of three naves and four chapels, each with its own dome, plus a large central dome with a drum on pendentives. The interior lost almost all of its artwork when it was burned during the Spanish Civil War, including the main altarpiece. The current altarpiece imitates Baroque models, with copies of famous paintings from the Prado Museum. In one of the chapels, beneath a simple gravestone, lies the tomb of Pedro de Ribera, the church’s principal architect, who lived in the house across from the church and was a parishioner throughout his life.
The Parrish of Church San Millàn y San Cayetano of Madrid : https://www.millanycayetano.org/
The Madrid tourist office on the Parrish Church San Millan y San Cayetano : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/san-millan-san-cayetano-parish
There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Madrid , always nostalgic sentimental words cannot describe it ! This is a vibrant cosmopolitan city of friendly faces and smiles to share in long conversations about life and more ; I love it, We will be back ,eventually!, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Parish Church San Millán and San Cayetano of Madrid !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 