Church of San Luis de los Franceses

It was built between 1699 and 1731 by architect Leonardo de Figueroa. The decorations are highly symbolic and we can appreciate all the typical Baroque features like: rhetoric, theatricality, artifice and a combination of various plastic arts. 

The  façade altarpiece is highly decorated, where the Solomonic columns stand out. On the upper part of the door we find the Spanish coat of arms topped by the three archangels defending the Church. At either end of the façade there are two octagonal towers decorated with tiles, where we can see the Evangelists. The entrance door is decorated with the images of Saint Hermenegild and Saint Ferdinand.

The interior was beautifully decorated by painters Lucas Valdés and Domingo Martínez, and the images and altarpieces of the temple are by sculptor Pedro Duque Cornejo.

The church has a Greek floor plan, with a magnificent dome above it, resting on 16 Solomonic columns.

The main altarpiece is profusely decorated and is a display of forms, mirrors, lights and colours. One of the highlights is a large crown on a canopy with a painting of Saint Louis, by the school of Zurbarán, above it.

The Domestic Chapel is located in the old novitiate, separated from the main church. It was a private church with a single nave and is profusely decorated with frescoes, paintings, images and relics, works by painters Lucas Valdés and Domingo Martínez, together with the images by Duque Cornejo.