San Jerónimo el Real

San Jerónimo el Real
View from the north angle
Basic information
Geographic coordinates	40°24′52″N 3°41′28″W / 40.414514°N 3.691138°W / 40.414514; -3.691138Coordinates: 40°24′52″N 3°41′28″W / 40.414514°N 3.691138°W / 40.414514; -3.691138
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Municipality	Madrid
District	Retiro
State	Spain
Region	Community of Madrid
Country	Spain
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Parish church
Status	Active
Website	www.parroquiasanjeronimoelreal.es
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Enrique Egas
Architectural style	Isabelline Gothic
Groundbreaking	1503
Completed	1505
Direction of façade	East
Designated as NHL	1925

San Jerónimo el Real (St. Jerome the Royal) is a Roman Catholic church from the early 16th-century in central Madrid (Spain).

The church, which has undergone numerous remodelings and restorations over the centuries is the remaining structure of the Hieronymite monastery that once stood beside the royal palace of Buen Retiro, of which a portion now serves as the Prado museum. Its proximity to the royal palace also underscores a connection to royalty, serving for centuries as the church used for the investiture of the Prince of Asturias. In addition, a Mass to celebrate the investiture of King Juan Carlos I was held here. In part, this link was cemented also because Madrid only completed its Cathedral of the Almudena in 1993. For many centuries, the Church of San Isidro served as a de facto cathedral, but while this church was associated with the patron saint of Madrid, St. Isidore was also the patron of manual laborers, not royalty, thereby relegating the role of royal chapel to this church.

The Hieronymus monastery had been built near the river Manzanares, during the reign of Henry IV of Castile (the impotent) in the neighborhood of the El Pardo palace. But suffering due to the marshiness of the site, during the reign of Isabella I, the Monastery of the Hieronymites was moved to a site next to an incipient royal palace. The new monastery was built in Isabelline Gothic style. The church was chosen for the investiture of the Princes of Asturias and future king Philip II on April 18, 1528.

King Philip II moved the Spanish court to Madrid in 1561, and had the retreat enlarged to become the Palacio del Buen Retiro. He established a royal bedroom against the presbytery, such that he could hear mass from his bedroom. The Palacio del Buen Retiro was largely destroyed in the Napoleonic French occupation of Madrid. In 1808 the monks were expelled from the monastery and French troops were quartered in the monastery, causing major damage to the building, and the church was almost left in ruins.