Located in the popular Plaza de la Paja, in the Barrio de La Latina neighbourhood, this is one of the few Gothic chapels still standing in Madrid. It was commissioned in 1520 by Francisco de Vargas, a member of one of the most powerful families in Madrid, who employed the farm labourer who went on to become the city's patron saint, San Isidro. The works were completed in 1535 by Francisco de Vargas’s son, Don Gutierre de Vargas y Carvajal, Bishop of Plasencia, after whom the chapel takes its popular name (‘capilla del obispo’ meaning the bishop's chapel). In 1931, it was declared a National Monument.
Officially called the Capilla de Nuestra Señora y San Juan de Letrán, and devoted to their worship, it is located on the site of an ancient chapel possibly erected by Alfonso VIII on an area of land owned by the Vargas family. It is a splendid building, representing the transition from the Gothic style (nave and apse, roof with Gothic ribbed vaults) to the Renaissance style (door and interior decoration). Built as a chapel belonging to the church of San Andrés, to which it was originally joined, inside it has a magnificent main altarpiece, the work of Francisco de Giralte from Palencia and a disciple of Berruguete, who completed it around 1550 with the collaboration of Juan Villoldo el Mozo, who did the colouring work.
The chapel is now managed by the Archdiocese of Madrid, which runs guided tours lasting about 45 minutes. Tickets must be booked and paid for in advance, securing your place by e-mail. Each tour can accommodate up to 25 people. During the summer months (July and August), tours are suspended and resume in September.
From November 2025 onwards, you can visit the chapel unaccompanied, and free of charge, every Wednesday from 10:30am to 2pm.
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