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| San Jerónimo el Real | |
|---|---|
 View from the north angle | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Retiro |
| Region | Community of Madrid |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish church |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Municipality |  Madrid |
| State | Spain |
 Interactive map of San Jerónimo el Real | |
| Coordinates | 40°24′52″N3°41′28″W / 40.414514°N 3.691138°W /40.414514; -3.691138 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Enrique Egas |
| Style | Isabelline Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1503 |
| Completed | 1505 |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Designated asNHL | 1925 |
| Website | |
| www.parroquiasanjeronimoelreal.es | |
Saint Jerome the Royal (in SpanishSan Jerónimo el Real) is aRoman Catholic church from the early 16th-century in centralMadrid (Spain).
The church, which has undergone numerous remodelings and restorations over the centuries is the remaining structure of theHieronymite monastery that once stood beside the royal palace of Buen Retiro, of which a portion now serves as thePrado museum. Its proximity to the royal palace also underscores a connection to royalty, serving for centuries as the church used for the investiture of thePrince of Asturias. In addition, a Mass to celebrate the investiture of KingJuan Carlos I was held here. In part, this link was cemented also because Madrid only completed itsCathedral of the Almudena in 1993. For many centuries, theChurch of San Isidro served as a de facto cathedral, but while this church was associated with the patron saint of Madrid, St. Isidore was also the patron of manual laborers, not royalty, thereby relegating the role of royal chapel to this church.
The originalHieronymitesmonastery, the Monasterio de Santa María del Paso, had been built near theMonte de El Pardo, on the banks of the riverManzanares, during the reign ofHenry IV of Castile.[1] However, due to the marshiness of the site, which caused much sickness among the monks, in 1502Isabella I granted the monks land on which to build a new monastery, which was built inIsabelline Gothic style.[1] The church was chosen for the investiture of the Princes ofAsturias and future kingPhilip II on April 18, 1528.
When KingPhilip II moved the Spanish court to Madrid in 1561, he had his retreat enlarged to become thePalacio del Buen Retiro. He established a royal bedroom against the presbytery, such that he could hear mass from his bedroom. The Palacio del Buen Retiro was largely destroyed in theNapoleonic French occupation of Madrid. In 1808 the monks were expelled from the monastery and French troops were quartered in the monastery, causing major damage to the building, and the church was almost left in ruins.
The first major restoration was carried out during the reign ofIsabel II of Spain, between 1848 and 1859, by the architectNarciso Pascual Colomer,[1] in theIsabelline Gothic style, who added some new elements, such as towers. The second restoration, 1879 to 1883, byEnrique María Repullés, transformed the building into its current role as a parish church.[1] Only a few external features remain of its original structure. The exterior remodeling of the nineteenth century in aneo-Gothic style byPontian Ponzano remains controversial.
The stairway that faces the street was constructed in 1906 on the occasion of the wedding ofKing Alfonso XIII to provide more impressive access to the church. For many decades, theBaroque cloister, designed byLorenzo de San Nicolás, remained in disrepair. Finally, in 2007, an agreement between the church and the government led to the appropriation of the land for the cloister by the Prado Museum. The inner courtyard facade was dismantled, and then rebuilt as a cubic room, designed byRafael Moneo in an expansion of the museum. The wing has been labeled theCubo de Moneo, (Moneo's Cube).
The church contains sculptures byMariano Benlliure Gill,Juan Pascual de Mena’s 18th-centuryCristo de la Buena Muerte, and paintings byVincenzo Carducci andJosé Méndez, neo-Gothic lamps and stained-glass windows.
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