The Capilla del Obispo is a hugely important site on the historical map of Madrid. It was here that San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of Madrid, was first buried. When the saint’s body was discovered there in the late 13th century, two centuries after his death, decomposition had not yet set in. Thus it was that King Alfonso XI ordered the construction in San Andrés of an ark to hold his remains and a chapel in which to venerate his memory.
In 1669, 47 years after the saint was canonised, the last of many chapels was built on the site and that’s what you see today. Don’t go looking for the saint’s remains though – San Isidro made his last move to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo in the 18th century. From Tuesday to Friday at 12.30pm, stop by for the sung service 'Oficio del Mediodía'.
Visits are by 40-minute guided tour only, and advance reservations must be made at the Museo de la Catedral y Cúpola in the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena. Most weeks they happen at 10am, 10.45am and 11.30am on Tuesday, and 4pm and 4.45pm Thursday.
