Marquis Landmarks

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Walking along the Manzanares River in Madrid, especially on a beautiful day, is a real treat as many landmarks and parks sit on or near its banks.

As I left the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, I decided to make my way to the Chapel of the Virgin of the Harbour which lies a short distance away, in the shadow of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

Walking along the Paseo de la Florida, I neared the metro station of Principe Pio and spotted a large structure in the middle of the traffic circle.

The San Vincente Gate.

Curiosity had me whipping out my phone to see what information I could find on this interesting piece of architecture. What I found, however, was more interesting than I anticipated.

While Madrid is filled with many historic architectural features, this was not one of them!

In 1726, a structure, commissioned by the Marques de Vadillo, stood in this area. Consisting of three giant arcs topped with a figure of San Vicente, the gate was also known as Puerta de Florida. Standing for about fifty years, it was then demolished to make way for much needed roadways. In 1775, King Carlos III, contracted Francesco Sabatini to design a new gate, closer to the river. Built of granite and limestone, it featured two shutters and an arc, Doric columns and military symbols. Unlike the first one, it stood for over two hundred years…but much like the first, it too was disassembled in the 1980s for traffic renovations.

In 1992, a proposal was passed by the City Council of Madrid approving an exact replica of the original 1775 gate. Original molds were used to construct the single arch and two blind apertures, decorated with two Doric columns and two pilasters in its interior.

Risking life and limb to make my way through the traffic zooming around the traffic circle, I crossed the roadway to get a closer look. What I thought was part of the gate, I quickly realized was remaining Christmas lighting, set within the openings of the the arches. The sun was low in the sky, highlighting the structure and I noted that if I stuck around for a couple of hours, I might get to see these holiday lights enhancing the structure.

If I wanted to get to the Chapel of the Virgin of the Harbour, however, I needed to make haste, so off I went, walking along the Paseo de la Virgin del Puerto. Many people were out due to the unseasonable warmth and I grew excited as I spotted the spires of the chapel in the distance.

Noting its unique appearance, I thought that it reminded me of a German palace. I approached from the rear, appreciated the sun’s rays highlighting the beautiful towers and roofline.

This chapel was built between 1716 and 1718 by Pedro de Ribera and is one of the first examples of baroque architecture in Spain. It was damaged by missiles in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, which left only the walls and the octagonal dome. In 1945, it was proclaimed a national monument and reconstruction was begun by architect Carlos Mendoza. The church was reopened in 1951.

On this day, however, it was not open. I had read that it was often closed to the public and the best time to obtain access was immediately after masses of which I had hoped there would be one during the afternoon. I had hoped that it might arrive just at that time, however, it was locked up tight and I realized that the only afternoon masses were on Saturdays. Sad, considering that in the interior, you can see the tomb of Marquis Vadillo…yes, that same Marquis responsible for the San Vicente Gate, which I had just visited. What a coincidence!

While my visit to the chapel was a bit of a bust, I did get to get up close and personal to the Gate of San Vicente and learn that the chapel houses the remains of the person responsible for this gate. So, although I didn’t quite get to do what I had set out to, I learned a little bit about something unique in Madrid.

And that’s what visiting a city is all about…discovery!

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Gate of San Vicente

Chapel of the Virgin of the Harbour

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