Almudena Cathedral

Almudena Cathedral (Santa María la Real de La Almudena) is a Catholic church in Madrid, Spain. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993.

Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of La Almudena
Catedral de Santa María La Real de La Almudena
The Almudena Cathedral viewed from north
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Province	Archdiocese of Madrid
Rite	Roman
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Patron	Virgin of Almudena
Year consecrated	15 June 1993
Status	Cathedral
Location
Location	Madrid, Spain
Location of the Cathedral in Madrid
Geographic coordinates	40.415586°N 3.714558°W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Marquis of Cubas Fernando Chueca
Type	Church
Style	Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Romanesque
Groundbreaking	April 4, 1883
Completed	June 15, 1993
Specifications
Length	102 m
Width (nave)	12.5 m
Materials	Granite of Colmenar Viejo and marble from Novelda
Website
Website of the Cathedral

History

When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo and the new capital had no cathedral. Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena were discussed as early as the 16th century but even though Spain built more than 40 cities in the new world during that century, plenty of cathedrals and fortresses, the cost of expanding and keeping the Empire came first and the construction of Madrid's cathedral was postponed. Making the cathedral the largest that the world had ever seen was then a priority. All other main Spanish cities had centuries old cathedrals, and Madrid also has old churches, but the construction of Almudena only began in 1879.

Consecration of the Cathedral in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.

The cathedral seems to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1083 when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid.[1]

Francisco de Cubas, the Marquis of Cubas, designed and directed the construction in a Gothic revival style. Construction ceased completely during the Spanish Civil War, and the project was abandoned until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the plans of de Cubas to a baroque exterior to match the grey and white façade of the Palacio Real, which stands directly opposite.

The cathedral was not completed until 1993, when it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II.

On 22 May 2004 the marriage of King Felipe VI, then crown prince, to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano took place at the cathedral.

The Neo-Gothic interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of contemporary artists, in heterogeneous styles, from historical revivals to "pop-art" decor. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel features mosaic from known artist Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik. The paintings in the apse were painted by Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way.

The Neo-Romanesque crypt houses a 16th-century image of the Virgen de la Almudena. Nearby along the Calle Mayor excavations have unearthed remains of Moorish and medieval city walls.

Gallery

• 
  Cathedral as seen from Royal Palace of Madrid
• 
  Nave looking toward the sanctuary
• 
  Interior of the square cupola
• 
  Nave Vault
• 
  Pipe organ
• 
  Bell towers with Royal Palace in the background
• 
  The crypt

Burials

People buried at Almudena Cathedral include:

• Francisco de Cubas (1826–1899)
• Carmen Franco, 1st Duchess of Franco (1926–2017)
• Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, 10th Marquis of Villaverde (1922–1998)
• Cardinal Ángel Suquía Goicoechea (1916–2006)
• Queen Mercedes of Orleans (1860–1878)
• Fernando Rielo Pardal (1923–2004)

See also

• Catholic Church in Spain
• List of tallest domes

References

1. "El Madrid islámico". Ite.educacion.es. Retrieved 2013-10-14.

External links

Media related to Almudena Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons