St. Michael's Basilica (Madrid)

Pontifical Basilica of St. Michael Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel (Spanish)
Façade of the basilica
Basic information
Location	Madrid, Spain
Geographic coordinates	40°24′51.46″N 3°42′34.73″W / 40.4142944°N 3.7096472°W / 40.4142944; -3.7096472Coordinates: 40°24′51.46″N 3°42′34.73″W / 40.4142944°N 3.7096472°W / 40.4142944; -3.7096472
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Minor basilica
Heritage designation	Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain)
Leadership	Mons. Renzo Fratini
Website	www.bsmiguel.es
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Santiago Bonavía
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1739
Completed	1745
Construction cost	1 421 000 reales
Specifications
Direction of façade	S
Length	50 metres (160 ft)
Width	27 metres (89 ft)
Width (nave)	14 metres (46 ft)

The Pontifical Basilica of St. Michael (Spanish: Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel) is a baroque Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in central Madrid, Spain. It is located in San Justo Street, adjacent to the Archbishop's Palace. It is the church of the Apostolic Nunciature to the Kingdom of Spain of the Holy See and is now administrated by the priests of Opus Dei.

History

Construction began in 1739, on the site of the parish church of Sts. Justus and Pastor. The work was commissioned by Cardinal Infante Luis of Chinchón, Archbishop of Toledo, who subsidized construction with 1,421,000 reales. Construction was completed in 1745.

After the Napoleonic invasion, the church added the advocacy of Saint Michael (San Miguel), when the nearby parish church of San Miguel de los Octoes was torn down.

The original plans have been attributed to Santiago Bonavía, with perhaps an earlier contribution of Teodoro Ardemans. It was completed by Virgilio Rabaglio. On the facade, the allegorical statues of charity, faith, hope, and fortitude were sculpted by Roberto Michel and Nicolás Carisana, adornan los dos cuerpos superiores. A panel by Carisana, on the facade depicts the martyrdom of Santos Justo y Pastor. The cupola is decorated with frescos (1745), by Bartolomé Rusca, depicting the apotheosis of Santos Justo y Pastor.

Interior

Among the wood sculptures housed in the interior is the "Cristo de la Fe y del Perdón", by Luis Salvador Carmona.

Burials

The Italian composer Luigi Boccherini, who died in Madrid, was buried here until 1927, when Benito Mussolini repatriated the remains to the church of San Francesco of his native Lucca.

Gallery

• 

  Interior of the basilica.

• 

  Towers above Archbishop's Palace.

See also

• Opus Dei

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basílica de San Miguel.

• Official website of the Pontifical Basilica of St. Michael