Calle de la Verónica

Barrio de las Letras·Cortes

For an altarpiece of Veronica that Cristóbal de la Cámara, chief chamberlain of the Palace, set in the 18th century on the façade of his house. The dwelling became known as ‘the house of Veronica’ and the street inherited the name.

A narrow street linking the calle de la Alameda with the calle de Fúcar, in the Letras quarter. Its name comes from a street altarpiece that no longer exists, dedicated to Veronica and to the cloth on which the face of Christ was imprinted, the Holy Face of the Way of the Cross. The image showed Veronica holding the cloth with the face imprinted on it. The devotion it stirred was so strong that it shaped the behaviour of passers-by: men bared their heads and women knelt to pray. From that custom came the name the street still keeps. Of the altarpiece that began it all, no trace remains.

Its names

  • Nombre desconocido (anterior al retablo)hasta h.1720
  • Calle de la Verónicah.1720–actualidad
Sources (5)

Crossings