It sounds like a joke (and it is), but Madrid has a very different kind of church dedicated to worshiping a “redeeming” rubber duck. Opened in 2012, the Iglesia Patólica is the creation of comedian Leo Bassi, who also serves as the priest of the Paticano. Bassi is responsible for the hilarious Sunday services, which take place religiously at 1 PM.
One of the many "holy" paintings in the Iglesia Patólica
The Iglesia Patólica is a lighthearted critique of organized religion and even has its own baptisms, weddings (without legal validity), beliefs, and “miracles.” One such miracle is depicted in a drawing hung in the chapel, where Bassi is shown in a bathtub, telling his rubber duck that if it could turn all the water into wine, he would found a temple in its honor. It seems like it worked, doesn’t it?
Filipe Mendonça
Filipe has a degree in Advertising, works as a software developer in Germany, and is the creator of O Guia Nativo. The idea for a website offering non-touristic tips came about in 2014 but only became a reality in 2019.
