The Community of Madrid will protect the Santiago and San Juan Bautista parish church as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). It is one of the churches with the greatest historical tradition in the capital and the starting point of the Madrid Camino de Santiago since 1997. The building, erected in the 19th century on the site of former medieval churches, also houses significant artistic heritage with works by Francisco Rizi, Juan Carreño de Miranda, and sculptures attributed to La Roldana.
The Governing Council of the Community of Madrid approved this Wednesday the declaration of Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), in the category of Monument, for the Santiago and San Juan Bautista parish church, a 19th-century Jacobean temple located in the center of Madrid and considered the official starting point of the Camino de Santiago in the capital since 1997.
The current building, designed by architect Juan Antonio Cuervo, replaced two former medieval churches and is one of the Christian places of worship with the deepest historical roots in the city. Its facade, inspired by traditional Spanish architecture, and its unique Greek cross plan are among the most notable features of the property, as explained by the Minister of Presidency, Justice, and Local Administration, Miguel Ángel García Martín.
The bell tower also preserves pieces from the former disappeared temples: the main bell belonged to the medieval church of San Juan Bautista, the two medium-sized bells come from the old church of Santiago, and the smallest arrived from Chinchón.
The parish also holds a valuable historical archive with baptism, marriage, and burial records from the former churches of Santiago and San Juan Bautista, as well as documentation from a third religious building.
Inside, it houses an important collection of movable assets of great artistic value, many of them predating the construction of the current temple and originating from the lost medieval churches. Among the most notable works are the canvases ‘Santiago on horseback at the Battle of Clavijo’, painted by Francisco Rizi in 1657, and ‘Baptism of Jesus’, by Juan Carreño de Miranda, dated 1682.
The sculptural heritage also includes carvings of special relevance, such as the representation of Beata Mariana de Jesús by Julián de San Martín, or the figure of Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb at his feet, attributed by various specialists to Pedro Roldán or his daughter Luisa Roldán, known as La Roldana, and dated in the second half of the 17th century.
Furthermore, the temple preserves an 18th-century organ from the former church of San Juan, currently adapted to the building's liturgical space.
