San Ginés, Madrid


The church of San Ginés in Madrid, is one of the oldest churches in that city. It is situated on the Calle Arenal. References to it appear in documents dating from the ninth century. Originally built in Mudéjar style, it was rebuilt in 1645.

History

The church was one of the churches of the medieval Madrid, of Mozarab origin, from between the 12th and 13th centuries, and its name comes from the fact that it was dedicated to the patron saint of notaries and secretaries, Saint Genesius of Arles.
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It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1982.

Description

The church is preceded by an atrium enclosed by railings. It has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles separated by semicircular arches and several side chapels and the altarpieces belong to the Neoclassical-Romantic school. It was, however, reconstructed after suffering several fires, so few remnants of the original church, such as the bell-tower, remain. In 1870, the loggia and atrium were added. The tower has a beautiful Madrid-style slate spire that incorporates great verticality into the construction.
In the Santísimo Cristo Chapel there are artworks by Alonso Cano, Luca Giordano and el Greco.
In fact, the painting by El Greco is not to be found in the chapel of the Santísimo, it is situated in the main church but covered by wood and it is only on display on Saturdays from 11.30 am to noon. In 2009 the church acquired :File:Michiel Coxie - The lamentation.jpg|The lamentation by Michiel Coxie.