Nieves Correa – Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida

Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida. Glorieta de San Antonio de la Florida s/n. Madrid

I was born in the neighborhood of Argüelles and the Verbena de San Antonio de la Florida is intimately linked to my childhood, the idea of party and summer. But the mystery, the mystery of those two twin buildings, one, that we will visit the 17th, always closed, and the other always open, full of laughter and rituals.

Nieves Correa is one of the big names in the current Spanish panorama of performance. Apart from her individual work that has led her to act in major European events, Nieves is also the organizer of Acción! MAD, the biggest Spanish performance festival.

The chapel of San Antonio de la Florida was built between 1792 and 1798 as part of the recreation property of Carlos III, the Palacio de la Florida. It is a Neoclassic building by the Italian architect Filippo Fontana, that is best known for its ceiling and dome frescoes by, as well as being the burial place of, the painter Goya. The frescoes portray miracles by Saint Anthony of Padua, including one which occurred in Lisbon, but which the painter has relocated to Madrid. On every June 13th, the chapel becomes the site of a lively pilgrimage in which young unwed women come to pray to St. Anthony and to ask for a partner.