Tuesday 30 December 2014

Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida - Goya’s Pantheon

Francisco de Goya was a well known artist of Spain. His remains and some things of his life are present in a tomb of a hermitage, which has been dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, called "La Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida". Goya lost his life in exile in Bordeaux in 1828, and later on his remains were put in this beautiful chapel. To avoid any confusion, his bodies, along with his son’s and close friend’s bodies, have been placed here. This fact is of great surprise that the head of Goya is missing, and is thought to have been stolen in 19th century for studies. Goya was responsible to decorate the chapel, and played his role in the completion of frescoes in just 120 days. Nowadays, this museum-pantheon is standing to remind the times of both the painter and the saint. A cult statue of Saint Anthony is also present here, while a replica of the chapel is situated on the opposite side. It is used for services of a pilgrimage during the month of June on the day when the life of saint is celebrated at local level.
Practical info

It is located at the foot of the presbytery in the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida. The timings are different for different days of the week. Tuesday to Friday timings are 9:30am to 8pm (2:30pm in August). Weekend timings are 10am to 2pm. It is closed on Mondays and public holidays.

No comments:

Post a Comment