The Church of Saint Cajetan, known as the church of San Millán y San Cayetano is a
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
church in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
History
The present church was built adjacent to the now absent Convent of ''Nuestra Señora del Favor'' (Our Lady of the Graces). It was built at the site of an oratory dedicated to St. Mark and Our Lady of the Graces, and founded in 1612 by Diego de Vera y Ordóñez de Villaquián. Thirty two years later, the father Plácido Mirto establishes a Convent of the
Theatine Order. The church is dedicated to the founder of the order,
Saint Cajetan
Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (6 October 1480 – 7 August 1547), known in English as Saint Cajetan ( ), was an Italian Catholic priest and religious reformer, co-founder of the Theatines. He is recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church, and hi ...
of Thiene. In 1822, the remaining monks were moved to a convent in
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, and the convent, which had suffered depredations during the
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
ic occupation of the peninsula, was ceded temporarily to the Franciscans of San Gil. In 1836, after the
Desamortización de Mendizábal, the convent building becomes private apartments.
In 1869, the church is joined to the parish of the demolished
Saint Millán Abad (hence the current
dedication of the church). On July 19, 1936, arson gutted all but the facade. In 1960, reconstruction began on the church. In 1980 San Cayetano was declared a ''
Bien de Interés Cultural
(, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries.
The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...
'' by the Spanish government.
Description
Construction of the church began in 1669 by the architect
Marcos López. Work was continued by others, including likely
José de Churriguera and
Pedro de Ribera
Pedro de Ribera (Madrid 4 August 1681 - Madrid, 1742) was a Spanish architect of the Baroque period.
Biography
Ribera worked almost exclusively in Madrid during the first half of the 18th century. He was a disciple of José Benito de Churrigue ...
, and not completed till 1761 by
Francisco de Moradillo.
Moradillo's facade was built of granite, and features three arches. Over the arches are statues of San Cajetan, Our Lady of Grace, and San Andrés Avelino, by
Pedro Alonso de los Ríos.
See also
*
Catholic Church in Spain
The Spanish Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Spain, is part of the Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Holy See, Rome, and the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes the non- ...
*
List of oldest church buildings
References
External links
''La iglesia de San Cayetano, del siglo XVIII, en peligro de ruina inminente'' El País
(; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
, 11 de mayo de 1980
Iglesia de San Cayetano. Madrid Histórico.'
{{Authority control
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1761
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain
Cayetano
Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid
Buildings and structures in Embajadores neighborhood, Madrid