Convento de Santo Tomás (Madrid)

View from the Plaza de Santa Cruz, by J. Laurent (c. 1870.); Biblioteca Nacional de España. Also shows a café established on the ground floor of the convent.

The missing Convento de Santo Tomás (also called Colegio de Atocha) was a complex of buildings belonging to the Dominicans, under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Madrid.

It was located in the former Arrabal de Santa Cruz, showing the main facade to the Calle de Atocha. Its exact location is close to the current Plaza de Santa Cruz, occupying part of the site of the modern Church of la Santa Cruz.

It was erected in the middle of 17th century, being a good example of the Spanish Baroque architecture. The convent had annex a cabinet for the teaching of theology, philosophy and rhetoric (Colegio de Santo Tomás), initially dependent of the Dominicans of Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The set consisted of a monastery that served as school functions, a courtyard and a large church.

Church and convent were secularized and confiscated in 1836 during the Spanish confiscation, going to have many uses, from administrative center to headquarters Milicia Nacional. The complex entirely disappeared three years after suffering a strong fire, which occurred in 1872. The early iglesia de la Santa Cruz, built in the 16th century (1583), attached to the Convento de Santo Tomas, also was affected by the fire.

History

File:Fachada de la Iglesia de Santo Tomás, Madrid (J. Laurent).jpg

Photograph of the facade of the church, J. Laurent (c. 1870.); National Library of Spain.

File:Claustro del convento de santo tomás-1875.jpg

Cloister of the Convento de Santo Tomás (c. 1875).

The Dominican friars of the convento de Nuestra Señora de Atocha founded in 1563 a school of theology with the money obtained from the sale of a house that had been donated to them, both far from the urban core of the time. In 1583, at the request of Fray Diego de Chaves (confessor of Philip II), it is excised as independent priory . The Count-Duke of Olivares took the new monastery under his protection. In 1635 begins to build the building in the Arrabal de Santa Cruz and the works last until 1656.

The facade of the church and the dome, both among the most outstanding works of Spanish courtly Baroque, were made by the sons of José de Churriguera: Jerónimo and Nicolás. The facade of the church was monumental, distributed the access to the temple in three covers, features of the ornate style of the Churriguera family. The courtyard, two-story, by José Jiménez Donoso, was considered one of the best architectural works of the 17th century in Madrid. The church was heavily used by many fraternities of Madrid. Was well known the Chapel of Santo Domingo in Soriano, owned by Fernando de Fonseca Ruiz de Contreras, Marquis of la Lapilla. In the year 1726 the dome collapsed, killing about 80 people.

During the Slaughter of friars of 1834 died several Dominicans. The convent building had several uses: it was the meeting place of the Landaburian Society; was conditioned to be one of the first headquarters of the Ateneo, prison and headquarters of the Milicia Nacional with modifications made by the architect Juan Pedro Ayegui. At the beginning of 19th century, settled in the corner of the building complex the Café de Santa Cruz. The April 13 of 1872 occurs a fire that severely damages its structures Four years later, the building collapses, and as result, was completely demolished.

From what was once a Madrilenian religious and cultural institution only remaining a few works of its movable heritage: the excellent painting Santo Domingo en Soriano work by Antonio de Pereda which adorned the Chapel of the Marquis of la Lapilla, guarded the Museo Cerralbo, the Assumption of the Virgin, altar large painting painted by Francisco Ignacio Ruiz de la Iglesia for the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves along with the Coronation of the Virgin now in the Parroquia del Corpus Christi in Seville and the sculpture of Our Lady of the Rosary flagship work by Luis Salvador Carmona, venerated in the Oratorio del Olivar.