Also known as the National Temple of Santa Teresa de Jesús and Convent of the Barefoot Carmelite Fathers, this church located in Plaza de España, in what was the former Cowshed on Príncipe Pío mountain, was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in the monument category on 20 December 1995. The building stands out for its medieval-inspired façade, which contrasts with its surroundings.
The temple was built in the 19th century as a residence for the Barefoot Carmelite Fathers and consists of a church and a convent. Neo-Gothic in style with modernist and renaissance features, its façade is made up of battlements to represent a fortress, based on the book, Las Moradas, written by Santa Teresa de Jesús.
The central section has three entrances to the temple, flanked by two polygonal turrets. Above the portico, there is a sculpture of Our Lady of Carmen.
The 35-metre high dome is Byzantine in style and is decorated with polychrome tiles in yellow, orange, red and blue tones, topped with a royal crown. The work was carried out by the ceramist, Daniel Zuloaga, commissioned by the Marchioness of Floresta. The drum consists of sixteen ogival windows which used to have images of the “Interior Castle” of Santa Teresa and San Juan de la Cruz “Climbing Mount Carmel”, destroyed during the 1931 fire.
Inside, the sculpture of Santa Teresa, the altarpiece and the light that enters through the window panes, created by Maumejean, stand out.
Today, the convent and church belong to the Order of the Barefoot Carmelites, where there is a religious community residence and a nursing home. It was used as a parish church from 1965 to 1 January 2016. It continues to be a church with masses, confessions and prayer activities and training, but it is attached to the Parish of San Marcos.
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