The restoration project of the façades and roofs of the Pontifical Basilica de San Miguel
THE BASILICA
THE BASILICA
Value enhancement of the “Madrid de los Austrias” Cultural Heritage
The Basilica is a meeting place with Beauty for all people, believers or not, who have a sensitivity to the ineffable and the sublime of Art in any of its manifestations. The Music -in this case mainly the Sacred Music- resonates putting in vibration all the sensitive fibres of the human being; perhaps with more intensity in this temple that enjoys unique acoustics in Madrid, originally designed and built by its architect, Giacomo Bonavia.
The Basilica is a baroque church with an Italian influence both in the scenographic treatment of the interior space and in the theatricality of its façade. The floor plan, inscribed in a rectangle, has a single nave with lateral chapels, an outstanding presbytery and a semi-circular apse. The rich interior is a beautiful example of Italian Baroque, where decorative elements modulate the space.
It has an Organ that maintains its original 18th century case, restored and built by Gerhard Grenzing in 1975, with almost 3,000 pipes, and digitized in 2005. It is considered to be one of the best organs in Madrid. It was inaugurated by Montserrat Torrent on September 29, 1975 and on December 18, 2021, at 95 years old, she offered a concert as the beginning of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the new stage of the instrument.
Finally, it has some pieces of furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The construction of the Basilica ended in 1745. Later, although two subsequent artistic and architectural interventions have taken place:
+ The first one in the 19th century, when the temple definitively changed its dedication under the patronage of Saint Michael the Archangel.
+ The second one, already in the 20th century, aimed at solving some shortcomings, enhancing some aspects and, above all, to adapting it to the new liturgical regulations after the Second Vatican Council.
The Basilica was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1984 and an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) of the Community of Madrid in 2002. In addition, it belongs to the BIC “Recinto Villa de Madrid” historical complex.
TEIXEIRA'S MAP OF 1656
We show you, below, a fragment of the Teixeira’s Map, the best-known work of the Portuguese cartographer Pedro de Teixeira. It is of great importance since it is the most extensive and detailed map made of the ‘Village and Court’ of the ‘Madrid de los Austrias’.
The plot on which the Basilica is currently located is marked on it. This site belonged to the old church of Santos Justo y Pastor, which burned down in 1690.