PhD Program in Historical studies
The feast of San Isidro in Madrid
Saint Isidore: medieval peasant, Baroque saint and patron saint of Madrid
Isidro (Isidore in English) was one of many Christians who left Madrid because of the conquest of the Almoravids in the twelfth century. He fled to Torrelaguna, to the north of Madrid, to work in the fields. He married Maria de la Cabeza and had a son. A great miracle, a mix history and legend, took place: one day his wife Maria came to a very deep well with her son and the child accidentally fell into it. Maria began to cry and cry inconsolably, thinking that she had already lost her son forever. Returning from the fields, Isidore saw the incident with his wife and began to pray, asking the Virgin Mary to console them. At the same moment, the water rose in the well to return the child to the surface alive. According to tradition the saint also enjoyed an extraordinary privilege: every day he received help in his work in the fields, by angels sent by the Virgin. In 1619 he was beatified and canonized in 1622. Since then Isidore was converted into a model for Baroque society, on account of three virtues in particular: continuous prayer, the toil of labor and great charity. The people of Madrid invoked the intercession of San Isidore for a rich harvest of crops, while the Spanish monarchs and nobility asked to be cured of fevers and ailments.
From his canonization the body of San Isidore was revered and declared to be “incorruptible” by the ecclesiastical authorities, by opening the case to prove the state of preservation of the body on several occasions. It is kept in an urn, a gift of Queen Palatine Maria Anna of Neuburg in 1692, appreciated artistically for its walnut and rich decoration filigree. The veneration of the kings of the Habsburg dynasty also gave impetus to the idea of building a large chapel where the incorrupt body of Saint Isidore could be revered. In 1657, Philip IV attended the placement of the first stone of this large chapel, but in 1767 the body of San Isidore was transported to a new location. Following the expulsion of the Jesuits many churches of the Company remained empty, including the church of the Colegio Imperial of Madrid, located in Calle Toledo. It was decided to bring the body of the saint to this Baroque church (whose construction was completed in 1622), turning it in this way into the Cathedral of San Isidore in Madrid. The facade of the church is one of the most important and magnificent in Madrid, it has three doors positioned between four half columns with pedestals that have two pillars on each end. On the columns rests the frame and above it is the balustrade. In the central part of the facade there is a niche that houses the images of San Isidore and Santa Maria de la CabezaShe was originally from Uceda. “De la Cabeza” is not her last name, but refers to the head of the saint, venerated as a relic that continuously produced miracles. She married Isidore and both were very devoted to Our Lady. The cult of Santa María de la Cabeza was approved by Pope Innocent XII in 1697.. Today, as in the seventeenth century, a solemn procession every 15 May takes place, the day of San Isidro Labrador. The statues leave the cathedral, first that of Santa Maria de la Cabeza and then one of San Isidore, and through the streets around the temple, as it is shown in the video. It is, without doubt, one of the most celebrated festivals by the people of Madrid.