Discover the history of San Sebastián Parish

Would you like to discover the history and secrets of one of Madrid’s most iconic churches? The parish invites you on its guided tours: a walk through historical details, anecdotes, famous people linked to the parish and the artistic value of its architecture and heritage.

Four centuries of history

The parish began in 1541 as a small hermitage built at the behest of Cardinal Juan de Tavera. In 1554 a larger church was commissioned from the master builder Antonio Sillero; work progressed slowly for lack of funds and the church opened for worship in 1578.

Over the centuries it was home to confraternities such as that of Mercy, of the Christ of Faith, of the Palace Halberdiers and of Our Lady of Bethlehem of the Architects. Their patronage and private donations filled the church with works of art.

Destroyed and rebuilt

In the first months of the Civil War the church was attacked and set on fire, and on 18 November 1936 it was hit in a bombing raid. Only part of the chancel, the Architects’ chapel, the doorway and the tower survived; the City Council later pulled the tower down to widen the street. The historical archive was saved.

Rebuilding began in 1943 under the architect Francisco Íñiguez Almech. Because of the uneven ground, the church was reoriented and the high altar moved to one side. The old part keeps the chapels of Bethlehem, the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Mercy; the new part has an octagonal plan, a central dome with lanterns and a choir at the back. It reopened in 1959 and in 1969 was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, a protected heritage site.

“The parish church of San Sebastián, like some people, has two faces…”

An archive full of famous names

Its registers hold the baptism, marriage or death records of Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Leandro Fernández de Moratín, Ventura Rodríguez, Juan de Villanueva, José de Espronceda, Mariano José de Larra, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Jacinto Benavente.

Lope de Vega was buried in the old parish cemetery. When his heirs stopped paying for the crypt, his remains were moved to the ossuary and can no longer be identified. Where the cemetery once stood there is now a flower shop.