Pontifical Basilica of St. Michael

About

The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Michael (Spanish: Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel) is a Baroque-style Catholic church and minor basilica in central Madrid, Spain. It is located in San Justo Street, adjacent to the Archbishop's Palace. It is the church of the Apostolic Nunciature to the Kingdom of Spain of the Holy See and is now administered by the priests of Opus Dei. Pope Pius XI raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica via his decree Matritensi in Civitate on 15 September 1930. The decree was signed and notarized by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli.

History: Construction began in 1739, on the site of the parish church of Saints Justus and Pastor. The work was commissioned by Cardinal Infante Luis of Chinchón, Archbishop of Toledo, who subsidized construction with 1,421,000 reales. Construction was completed in 1745. After the Napoleonic invasion, the church added the advocacy of Saint Michael (San Miguel), when the nearby parish church of San Miguel de los Octoes was torn down. The original plans have been attributed to Santiago Bonavía, with perhaps an earlier contribution of Teodoro Ardemans. It was completed by Vigilio Rabaglio to Gandria. On the facade, the allegorical...