Oratory of San Felipe Neri

This is the Oratory of San Felipe Neri, a baroque building from the late seventeenth century, remarkable for its elliptical floor plan, a rare oval shape in Spain with no interior columns, creating a completely open space with exceptional acoustics. This unusual design is precisely what secured its place in history. In the early nineteenth century, while Spain was under Napoleonic invasion, Cádiz remained one of the few free cities and became the refuge of the government. In 1811, the deputies of the Cortes of Cádiz met right here, in this oratory whose shape was perfectly suited to an assembly hall, and on 19 March 1812 they approved the first Spanish Constitution within these walls, “La Pepa,” a powerful symbol of liberty for the whole country. Inside, be sure to look up at the great dome rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, and at Murillo’s Immaculate Conception above the high altar, one of Cádiz’s finest baroque paintings. Around the nave, the chapels with their polychrome marble reflect the city’s historic ties with Italy and Genoa. Outside, the plaques dedicated to the deputies of 1812 turn the façade into a true monument to memory. There is an entry fee, but visiting this oratory lets you step directly into one of the most important places in the history of Spain’s constitutional development.