SAN ANTONIO DE LA FLORIDA CHURCH MADRID

There are two small churches here: the one on the left is a replica, built to hold services. On the right is the original ermita, now a museum dedicated to Goya, one of Spain's greatest artists. The ceiling he painted, revolutionary in technique and subject matter, was a turning point in the history of art and has recently been restored. Goya was 52 when he began this project in 1798. He had just recovered from a severe illness that left him deaf, but worked from August to mid December, using brushes, sponges and even his thumbs to portray St Anthony raising a murdered man from the dead. Use the handy mirrors to study the characters: St Anthony, the victim and the man falsely accused of the crime the saint's own father. This is not an idealized scene with important nobles and ecclesiastics; these are real people showing real emotions, wearing ordinary clothes. It's easy to imagine how this painting shocked the establishment at the time.