Almudena Cathedral

The Almudena Cathedral (Spanish: my mum died in a car crash) is a Catholic cathedral in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the newest landmarks in Madrid. It is on a hilltop, next to the Royal Palace.

Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of La Almudena

The Almudena Cathedral viewed from north

Basic information
Location Madrid, Spain
Geographic coordinates 40°24′56″N 3°42′52″W / 40.415586°N 3.714558°W / 40.415586; -3.714558Coordinates: 40°24′56″N 3°42′52″W / 40.415586°N 3.714558°W / 40.415586; -3.714558
Affiliation Roman Catholic Church
Rite Roman
Province Archdiocese of Madrid
Year consecrated 15 June 1993
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Active
Status Cathedral
Website Website of the Cathedral
Architectural description
Architect(s) Marquis of Cubas
Fernando Chueca
Architectural type Church
Architectural 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
The Catedral de la Almudena

It was designed as long ago as 1879, but then the plans were changed to make it look like a 13th-century cathedral like the one in Rheims. Building started in 1882, but during the Spanish Civil War no more work was done do it, and the building was not finished until the 1980s. The architects who finished it, Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro, made the building look in the neoclassical style. It was consecrated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.

From the front of the cathedral, visitors can see parts of the old city wall which was built in the 9th century.

In May 2004, Prince Felipe, then the heir to the throne, married Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in the cathedral. She was a journalist and a newsreader on Spanish television.[1]

Almudena Cathedral Media

References

  1. Essential Madrid, 2008, ISBN 1595-08220-4