The Saint Sebastian Church or Iglesia de San Sebastián is a 16th-century church in central

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain. It is located on Atocha street, #39. The name arises from a devotional chapel (ermita) which was found along the route to the

Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha The Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha or Real Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Atocha is a large church in central Madrid on Avenida de la Ciudad de Barcelona, 1.https://www.esmadrid.com/informacion-turistica/basilica-de-nuestra-senora-de-ato ...

, founded in 1541. The first architect around 1550 was Antonio Sillero, who also finished the Chapel of the Sagrado Corazón. This church like that of San Luis conserved for years the rights of asylum for those escaping official persecution. More chapels and enlargements were added by Antonio de la Tijera, Juan de Bulga Valdelastras, and Juan de Obregón between 1595 and 1598. The tower was built in 1612 by Lucas Hernández. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, the church was sacked by Republican forces, before it ended up being almost destroyed during a bombing raid by the Nationalists around November 20, 1936. This caused many of the works to be transferred to other sites. For example, the icon of San Blas was moved to the convent of

San Jerónimo el Real Saint Jerome the Royal (in Spanish ''San Jerónimo el Real'') is a Roman Catholic church from the early 16th-century in central Madrid (Spain). The church, which has undergone numerous remodelings and restorations over the centuries is the remain ...

News item in EL MUNDO about the procession of San Blas
/ref>). The church was rebuilt in a different orientation by Francisco Íñiguez Almech between 1943 and 1959. In 1969, it was declared a "

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...

" in the category of monument.

Chapels

The Chapel of Our Lady of Bethlehem, known as the "chapel of the architects", was built in 1693 with

Francisco Moreno Francisco Pascasio Moreno (May 31, 1852 – November 22, 1919) was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as ''Perito'' Moreno (''perito'' means "specialist, expert"). Perito Moreno has been credited as on ...

as director of the works, and remodeled by

Ventura Rodríguez Ventura Rodríguez Tizón (July 14, 1717 – September 26, 1785) was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranj ...

in 1766-1768. Both Ventura Rodríguez and

Juan de Villanueva Juan de Villanueva (September 15, 1739 in Madrid – August 22, 1811) was a Spanish architect. Alongside Ventura Rodríguez, Villanueva is the best known architect of Spanish Neoclassicism. Biography His father was the sculptor Juan de Villa ...

are buried here. The chapel is to the right of the entrance, protected by a crystal gate. The Chapel of the Holy Heart was designed by Antonio Sillero.

Historical importance

The archives of the church over the centuries have kept biographical data on numerous figures of renown, including:

Baptism

Iglesia San Sebastian Atocha Madrid 0143

Ramón de la Cruz Ramón de la Cruz (28 March 1731 – 5 March 1794) was a Spanish neoclassical dramatist. Born in Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area ...

(1731) *

Leandro Fernández de Moratín Leandro Fernández de Moratín (; 10 March 1760 – 21 June 1828) was a Spanish dramatist, translator and neoclassical poet. Biography Moratín was born in Madrid the son of Nicolás Fernández de Moratín, a major literary reformer in Sp ...

(1760) *

Patricio de la Escosura Patricio de la Escosura Morrogh (5 November 1807–1878) was a Spanish politician, journalist, playwright and author associated with the Romantic school Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, ...

(1807) * Jerónimo María Usera y Alarcón (1810) *

Francisco Asenjo Barbieri Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (3 August 1823 – 19 February 1894) was a well-known composer of the popular Spanish opera form, ''zarzuela.'' His works include: '' El barberillo de Lavapiés'', '' Jugar con fuego'', ''Pan y toros'', ''Don Quijote'', ' ...

(1823) * Luis Madrazo Kuntz (1825) *

José de Echegaray José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

(1832) *

Jacinto Benavente Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (12 August 1866 – 14 July 1954) was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922 "for the happy manner in which he has continued the illustrious ...

(1866)

Funeral services

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

(1616) *

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

(1635) *

Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (c. 1581 - 4 August 1639) was a New Spain-born Spanish writer of the Golden Age who cultivated different variants of dramaturgy. His works include the comedy ''La verdad sospechosa'' ( es), which is considered a masterpie ...

(1639) *

Antonio de Pereda Antonio de Pereda y Salgado ( – January 30, 1678) was a Spanish Baroque-era painter, best known for his still lifes. Biography Pereda was born in Valladolid, the eldest of three brothers from an artistic family. His father, mother and two b ...

(1678) *

(1788) *

(1794) *

Nicolás del Campo Nicolás Francisco Cristóbal del Campo, Marquis of Loreto (March 12, 1725 – February 17, 1803) was a Spanish politician and soldier who occupied several posts in the Spanish American colonies, mainly in the River Plate area. Biography He was ...

(1803) *

(1811) *

José de Espronceda José Ignacio Javier Oriol Encarnación de Espronceda y Delgado (25 March 1808 – 23 May 1842) was a Romantic Spanish poet, one of the most representative authors of the 19th century. He was influenced by Eugenio de Ochoa, Federico Madrazo, Al ...

(1842)

Weddings

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...

* Julián Romea *

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta Práxedes Mariano Mateo Sagasta y Escolar (21 July 1825 – 5 January 1903) was a Spanish civil engineer and politician who served as Prime Minister on eight occasions between 1870 and 1902—always in charge of the Liberal Party—as part of th ...

* Emilio Thuillier *

Mariano José de Larra Mariano José de Larra y Sánchez de Castro (24 March 1809 – 13 February 1837) was a Spanish romantic writer and journalist best known for his numerous essays and his infamous suicide. His works were often satirical and critical of the 19th- ...

Cemetery

The cemetery, at the union of Huertas and San Sebastian streets, has disappeared and is now replaced by a flower shop. In this cemetery

is buried. It also was the site of the ghoulish incident after the burial of actress

María Ignacia Ibáñez Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

, when her lover, the writer

José Cadalso José de Cadalso y Vázquez (Cádiz, 1741 – Gibraltar, 1782), Spanish, Colonel of the Royal Spanish Army, author, poet, playwright and essayist, one of the canonical producers of Spanish Enlightenment literature. Before completing his twentiet ...

, lovelorn, attempted to dig up her body.

References

External links

MadridHistorico
{{Authority control San Sebastian Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid Renaissance architecture in Madrid Roman Catholic churches completed in 1693 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain 1693 establishments in Spain Buildings and structures in Cortes neighborhood, Madrid