A small neoclassical chapel with a ceiling fully frescoed by Francisco Goya in 1798, who is also buried here — free to visit and largely overlooked by tourists.
Overview
The Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida is a small neoclassical chapel on the western edge of Madrid, notable for one extraordinary fact: its entire dome and ceiling were frescoed by Francisco Goya in 1798, and Goya himself is buried beneath the presbytery. It’s one of the most remarkable single-artist spaces in Europe — a complete, unified ceiling fresco cycle by one of art history’s most important painters, housed in a modest working chapel most visitors to Madrid never hear about.
This is a stop for Goya admirers who’ve seen his work at the Prado and want the fuller picture, architecture and fresco enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a genuinely free, uncrowded major artwork experience within the city. It’s small enough to see in well under an hour, making it an easy add-on to a Madrid Río or Casa de Campo outing along the river.
History & Significance
King Charles IV commissioned the chapel’s construction in the 1790s, and in 1798 Goya — already established as a court painter — took on the commission to fresco its dome and pendentives. Working at remarkable speed, Goya covered the cupola with a scene depicting a miracle attributed to Saint Anthony of Padua: the saint resurrecting a murdered man so he could testify to his father’s innocence, watched by a crowd of Madrid’s common people rendered with the same unsentimental realism Goya brought to his portraits of the aristocracy.
What makes the frescoes historically significant isn’t just their quality but their audience. Goya populated the crowd scene with contemporary Madrid figures — majas, working people, ordinary faces — rather than idealized saints, a choice that was almost radical for religious ceiling painting at the time and prefigures the unflinching realism of his later Black Paintings at the Prado. When Goya died in exile in Bordeaux in 1828, his remains were eventually repatriated to Spain in 1919 and interred here, beneath the ceiling he had painted over a century earlier — making this simultaneously his greatest surviving fresco cycle and his final resting place, a combination unique among Madrid’s museums.
Top Things to See & Do
- The dome fresco — Goya’s depiction of Saint Anthony’s miracle, the chapel’s central and most important work, best viewed standing directly beneath the cupola.
- The pendentive and side frescoes — smaller painted sections surrounding the main dome that repay a slow look.
- Goya’s tomb — set into the floor beneath the presbytery, a quietly moving detail once you know the painter is buried under his own masterwork.
- The chapel’s austere neoclassical exterior — a deliberate contrast to the vivid, populated fresco work inside.
- Hidden gem: the twin chapel building next door (a near-identical replica built later to take over regular parish functions, preserving the original purely as a museum) — most visitors don’t realize there are two nearly identical buildings side by side, only one of which holds the Goya frescoes.
Insider Tips & Etiquette
Thirty to forty-five minutes covers the visit comfortably, since the space itself is compact. The single most important rule: no photography is permitted inside, strictly enforced to protect the frescoes, so don’t plan on capturing the ceiling yourself — postcards and reproductions are available instead. Free guided tours in Spanish and English run Saturdays at 11:00 and noon, a good way to get context on the frescoes’ history and Goya’s technique without hiring a private guide. The chapel is small and simple to navigate, with ground-level access to the main space.
Because this sits slightly outside Madrid’s central tourist core, near the Manzanares river and Príncipe Pío, it pairs naturally with an active, outdoor part of your day rather than a museum-hopping one — treat it as a quiet cultural pause within a longer riverside walk rather than a standalone destination requiring a special trip.
Photography & Social Media Guide
The exterior facade photographs best in late afternoon light from across the small plaza in front. Inside, resist the urge to sneak a photo of the frescoes — the no-photography rule is actively enforced by staff, and reproductions of the ceiling are sold at the entrance if you want to take the image home with you.
Who It’s For
Families: A quick, free, easy stop if you’re already in the area for Madrid Río or Casa de Campo; the religious and art-historical content appeals more to older kids and adults, but the visit is short enough not to strain younger attention spans. Accessibility: Ground-level access to the main chapel with no major barriers. Budget travelers: Completely free, every day it’s open — arguably the best zero-cost major artwork experience in Madrid.
Where to Go Next
Madrid Río, the long riverside park along the Manzanares, runs right past the chapel and makes for an easy, scenic extension of your visit in either direction. Casa de Campo, Madrid’s largest park, is accessible via a footbridge across the river and cable car from the Príncipe Pío area, offering a full afternoon of green space if you want to make a day of western Madrid. Campo del Moro, the Royal Palace’s riverside garden, is a roughly 15-minute walk along the river and worth combining if you’re continuing toward the historic center. For food, the Príncipe Pío shopping and dining complex nearby has casual options with pleasant river views, a convenient stop before or after the chapel.
Crowd Meter
- Low — Essentially always — this remains one of Madrid's least-visited major sights
- Medium — Saturday mornings, when free guided tours run at 11:00 and noon
- Peak — Rarely applicable
Where to Go Next
Madrid Río Park
A 10-kilometer green corridor along the Manzanares River, built over a buried highway, with 33 bridges, an urban beach, and Madrid's best bike path.
Casa de Campo
Madrid's largest park at nearly 1,723 hectares — about five times the size of New York's Central Park — with a lake, a zoo, a cable car, and genuine forest.
Campo del Moro
English-style romantic gardens behind the Royal Palace, named for a 12th-century Moorish siege camp, with fountains and the palace's most dramatic facade view.