This pre-Baroque chapel of the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis has been a National Monument since 1969, on account of its singular beauty and decoration, including the baldachin that houses the image of Christ of Sorrows, above the main altar, designed by Sebastián de Herrera and created in 1664 by Juan Ursularre Echevarría, officially unveiled in 1668.
In 1608, the Brotherhood of the Third Order was officially founded in Madrid, joined by illustrious figures such as Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo and Calderón de la Barca. To celebrate their meetings and acts of worship, brothers of the Order decided in 1613 to build a modest chapel that, once completed, was insufficient on account of the substantial growth experienced by the Brotherhood during those years. And so they decided to build a larger church, which is the one that exists today.
The new chapel was built between 1662 and 1668 by the builder Marcos López, following the plans of the Jesuit Francisco Bautista and the painter and sculptor Sebastián de Herrera. It has a rectangular layout with a single nave, no lateral chapels, and no transversal nave.
In the eighteenth century, between 1760 and 1784, the chapel was used as a church by the Franciscan friars while the basilica of San Francisco el Grande was being built. In 1888, it was saved from being pulled down and emerged unscathed from the fires and looting of 1931 and 1936.
In 1968, the Venerable Third Order decided to carry out a series of reforms according to the new liturgical requirements, so the baroque decoration was removed. This action was revoked by the Directorate General of Fine Arts, which compelled the Order to return the chapel to its original appearance after it was declared a National Monument in November 1969, protected by the State.
Between 1975 and 1980, further restoration was carried out, the altar was put back in its original position, the choir was rebuilt and the baldachin that houses the image of the Christ of Sorrows was reconstructed.
Among the locals in the area it is also known as “San Francisquín”, in contrast to the neighbouring basilica of San Francisco el Grande.
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