San Antonio de los Alemanes: the elliptical church of frescoes hidden in Malasaña, Madrid

On Calle de la Puebla 22, a little street in Madrid's Malasaña neighbourhood a few steps from the Gran Vía, there's a brick façade so plain that most passers-by walk straight past. Inside is one of Madrid's most astonishing surprises: the Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes, built between 1624 and 1633, with walls, vault and dome covered in frescoes from floor to springing. The local nickname of "Madrid's Sistine Chapel" is an exaggeration but gets the idea across: there isn't a single white wall here.

The frescoes

The plan is elliptical, a rare choice for Madrid and all the more surprising in such a compact space. The oval dome was frescoed by Francisco Rizi in 1662 with an allegory of the Glory of Saint Anthony, above a trompe-l'œil ring painted to feign an architecture that doesn't exist. The curved walls are the work of Luca Giordano, the Neapolitan painter nicknamed "Luca fà presto" for his speed, who was court painter to Charles II of Spain between 1692 and 1702 and worked at the Royal Palace and the Buen Retiro. Here he painted the miracles of Saint Anthony and a series of idealised sovereigns who were canonised, among them the Emperor Henry of Germany, Saint Louis of France and Saint Stephen of Hungary.

The name and the history

The history also explains the curious name. The church began as a hospice and place of worship for Portuguese pilgrims, when Portugal and Spain were under the same crown; with the separation of the two kingdoms in the mid-17th century, it passed to the German community living in Madrid, hence "de los Alemanes". Today it's run by the Real Hermandad del Refugio, a brotherhood that channels the proceeds of visits and donations into social works: a soup kitchen for the poor, food aid, support for children's schooling.

What there really is to see, beyond the frescoes: the enveloping effect of the ellipse, which places you at the centre of a room painted on every surface, and the trompe-l'œil details that play with perspective. It's a small space, toured in half an hour, but it's worth raising your gaze and following the scenes up to the dome.

Hours and visits

The catch is the opening hours, and it's the reason it stays little-visited: it opens only in limited slots and not every day. Roughly, it can be visited Tuesday to Saturday in the daytime and on Sunday in the early afternoon, often with guided tours in the morning and an audioguide. Since 2025 the cultural visit has been combined with that of the nearby church of the Monastery of San Plácido, with a single ticket of around 12 euros; there's generally still free entry on Sunday afternoon, as provided for Assets of Cultural Interest. The church closes in August. The hours change often: it's worth checking them on the Hermandad del Refugio website before going.

Getting there

Getting there couldn't be easier, and that's the beauty of the contrast. You're right in the centre: the handiest metro stops are Callao (lines 3 and 5) and Gran Vía (lines 1 and 5), both a few minutes' walk away, or Noviciado and Santo Domingo (line 2). From Gran Vía you take Calle de la Puebla and two blocks later you're at the door. You'll often find yourself alone in the room, with the custodian and five centuries of painting over your head.

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