San Francisco was Madrid’s unofficial cathedral until the Almudena was completed in 1994, and many Medrilenos still consider it to be the most important church in the city. After decades in the doldrums, it is gradually being restored to its former grandeur. An early work by Goya is just one of its artistic treasures.

The cathedral’s main altar was restored in 2005 and features paintings depicting the life of St. Francis by Manuel Dominguez and Alejandro Ferrant. The Goya painting, dating form 1782-83, is in the first chapel on the left as you enter the church; it shows St. Bernardino of Siena preaching a sermon to King Alfonso V of Aragon and his court.