San Ginés church and chocolate shop

Chapter 9/11 · Madrid

The church of San Ginés, dedicated to Saint Genesius of Arles, is one of the oldest parishes in Madrid: it already appears in a charter of King Alfonso VII from 1156, and it is believed to have been built over an old Mozarabic hermitage. The present church dates from the 17th century; its main body, built by the master builder Juan Ruiz, was finished in 1645.

Inside it keeps a work by El Greco, The Purification of the Temple. Its parish registers record the baptism of Francisco de Quevedo in 1580 and the proxy wedding of Lope de Vega and Isabel de Urbina in 1588.

The San Ginés passage leads to the Chocolatería San Ginés, opened in 1894. Its fame began with theatregoers coming out of shows, and during the Second Republic it was known as La Escondida, the Hidden One, because it is tucked away in this alley. It is mentioned in Valle-Inclán's play Luces de Bohemia, and it is a tradition to have hot chocolate with churros here, even at dawn on New Year's Day.

Now we go back to Calle del Arenal and head north to the Plaza de las Descalzas.

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