On the banks of the Manzanares River in Madrid one finds a beautiful structure and garden; the Hermitage to Virgin of the Port. The Hermitage is in front of the Campo del Moro and at the foot of the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral.
The statue of this virgin is born in the Port of Lisbon, where she was in a small hermitage. With the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, the carved image of the Virgin is transferred to Plasencia in Extremadura. The Marian devotion in Madrid gives rise to create a replica of the Virgin in Plasencia and with it a new Hermitage to the Virgin of the Port originates, but this time in Madrid.
The current hermitage was entrusted by the Marquis de Vadillo to the architect Pedro de Ribera as part of a major project to remodel the areas of the Old Alcazar. The devotion to Maria del Marqués de Vadillo motivates the restoration of the old hermitage. The remains of the marquis are inside the hermitage.
The hermitage suffered great damages during the Civil War, forcing a reconstruction of it in the 1940’s. The hermitage is a building that has a central dome surrounded by 4 chapels. The facade is mostly in bricks and has clay roof tiles. The structure of the hermitage inspires us to think of fantasy castles.
The hermitage is located on the “Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto” a few steps from the Segovia Bridge.