Convento de los Agustinos Recoletos (Madrid) facts for kids

Convento de los Agustinos Recoletos or that de Copacabana. Madrid

The Convento de los Agustinos Recoletos, also known as the Convento de Copacabana, was a large religious building in Madrid, Spain. It used to stand where the National Library and the National Archaeological Museum are today. The famous street nearby, Paseo de Recoletos, got its name from the convent's owners, the Augustinian Recollects. A well-known painter named Francisco de Zurbarán was buried here.

History of the Convent

The convent began in 1592. A princess named Doña Francisca de Guzmán gave the land for it. This was the fourth convent for the Augustinian Recollects in Spain.

At first, the monks used the houses already on the land. Then, in the early 1600s, they started building a new convent. It was finished in 1620.

The monks bought more land around the convent during the first half of the 1600s. This made the convent much larger. Luis de Valladolid was in charge of the building work. Some people also believe that two brothers from the order, Friar Juan de Nuestra Señora de la O and his son Friar Lorenzo de San Nicolás, helped design it.

In 1837, the monks had to leave the convent. This happened because of new laws about church property in Spain. A man named Mendizábal bought the convent in an auction. Soon after, the building was torn down.

What the Convent Looked Like

The convent buildings, like the dining hall, sleeping rooms, and a place for sick monks, were built around two open courtyards. Large gardens stretched out around these buildings.

The main front of the church had five arches that served as entrances. A triangular shape with a round window in the middle topped the church.

The church had a typical Spanish Baroque design. It had one main hall with chapels on the sides. These chapels were almost like separate rooms.

One of the most important chapels was the Chapel of Our Lady of Copacabana. It held a special statue of the Patron saint of Peru. This statue was brought to the convent in 1662. This chapel became so important that it gave the convent its other name, Convento de Copacabana. Famous artists like Francisco Herrera the Younger, Sebastián de Llanos y Valdés, Juan de Arellano, Luca Giordano, and Luisa Roldán (also known as La Roldana) created art for the chapel.

Images for kids

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  Plaque in memory to the Convent at the National Library of Spain's door.

See also

In Spanish: Convento de Copacabana para niños