Basilica of Jesus de Medinaceli facts for kids
The Basilica of Jesus de Medinaceli is a famous Roman Catholic church. It is located right in the center of Madrid, Spain. People also call it the Basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli. It is a special kind of church known as a basilica.
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History of the Basilica
This church was officially opened in 1930. It was built to house a very important statue. This statue is called Padre Jesús Nazareno. It shows Jesus of Nazareth.
The statue was first made in the 1600s in Seville, Spain. It was then sent to a Spanish fort in Morocco. There, local people captured it. Trinitarian monks later paid to get the statue back. They brought it to a convent in Spain.
The statue became very popular. Many people felt a strong connection to it. In 1689, a nobleman named the 8th Duke of Medinaceli built a small chapel for the statue.
Later, in 1710, a group of people formed a special club. They called themselves the "Congregation of Slaves of Jesús Nazareno."
In 1890, a new church was planned for the statue. This was decided by Doña Casilda Salabert y Arteaga. She was the mother of the 17th Duke of Medinaceli. From then on, the group caring for the statue became known as "Cristo de Medinaceli."
In 1928, Pope Pius XI gave the group an even higher status. The statue itself almost did not survive the Spanish Civil War. But it did survive, despite many difficulties. This amazing survival made people respect and admire the statue even more.
See also
- Catholic Church in Spain
- List of oldest church buildings
