LOS JERONIMOS, Interior

Now that you're inside San Jerónimo el Real, you can recognize the few late-Gothic parts of the church that have survived its repeated restorations: mainly they are the ceiling with a cross-shaped vault and original Byzantine-style chandeliers, and behind you the choir, or the space reserved for singers which is occupied by an impressive organ.

As you can see, the church has only one nave that's flanked by five chapels on each side, where you can admire some remarkable altars and noteworthy paintings, including a beautiful penitent St. Jerome in the fourth chapel on the right. The chapels are automatically lit.

I recommend taking a few minutes to admire The Last Communion of St. Jerome at the back of the church. You should know that this nineteenth-century painting is an impressive 8 by 4 and a half meters, and is one of the largest paintings in Madrid and probably all of Spain: just think, it took twelve strong men to place it above the altar!...