Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret

Did the Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret always stand here, a beacon of faith in Madrid? No. Its story begins not here, but in Seville, in the 17th century. A statue of Padre Jesús Nazareno, crafted with devotion, began its journey there. Imagine this statue, not yet residing in the grandeur of the Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret, but destined for a Spanish fortress in Morocco. The statue became a captive, held by locals, its fate uncertain. The Trinitarian monks, recognizing its spiritual significance, ransomed it from the Moors. They brought it back to Spain, not to Madrid, but to the Convent of the Trinitarios Descalzos in Seville. The Padre Jesús Nazareno statue quickly became a focus of deep devotion. In 1689, the 8th Duke of Medinaceli, moved by the reverence surrounding the statue, commissioned a chapel for it. Years later, in 1710, the Congregation of Slaves of Jesús Nazareno was formed, a testament to the statue’s power. The story then jumps to 1890. The Capuchin convent was being dismantled. The mother of the 17th Duke of Medinaceli, Doña Casilda Salabert y Arteaga, saw an opportunity. She envisioned a new home for the venerated statue. She decided to erect a church, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret. The fraternity associated with the statue took on the title “Cristo de Medinaceli.” In 1928, Pope Pius XI elevated the group to a primary archconfraternity, further solidifying its importance. The Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret, though not yet built, was drawing closer to its realization. Then came the Spanish Civil War, a turbulent time that threatened the statue’s very existence. Miraculously, the Padre Jesús Nazareno survived, its resilience amplifying its sacred meaning. While the Parroquia de Jesús de Nazaret isn’t directly mentioned in these historical details, its existence is intertwined with the journey of the Padre Jesús Nazareno statue. The devotion surrounding the statue ultimately led to the establishment of the church we stand before today. The church itself, however, was built between 1972 and 1974 by architect Luis Cubillo de Arteaga.