The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena, commonly known as the Almudena Cathedral, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain. It is the seat of the

Archdiocese of Madrid The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Madrid () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Spain. It is one of Spain's fourteen metropolitan archbishoprics. Since 12 June 2023 the archbishop of Madrid has been José Cobo Cano. Although Madrid ha ...

. Its construction began in 1883 and finished over a century later, when it was consecrated by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1993. It is located opposite the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

and much of its final appearance was defined considering this regal surrounding.

History

When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to

in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo and the new capital had no cathedral. Plans for a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the

Virgin of Almudena The Virgin of Almudena (''Virgen de la Almudena'') is a medieval statue of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary is regarded as a patroness of Madrid, Spain, under this title. The Cathedral of Madrid is dedicated to the Virg ...

were discussed as early as the 16th century but even though Spain built more than 40 cities overseas 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. The building was designed by Francisco de Cubas. The original plan had been to create a parochial church. The foundation stone was laid in 1883, but when

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

granted a bull in 1885 for the creation of the Madrid-Alcalá bishopric, the plans for the church were changed to that of a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

cathedral. The cathedral seems to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1083 when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid. In 1946 Ramón González Barrón was appointed choirmaster at the cathedral. Construction was interrupted by the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, and the site lay abandoned until 1950, when adapted the plans of de Cubas to a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

exterior to match the grey and white façade of the

Palacio Real The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

that stands directly opposite. The cathedral was completed in 1993, when it was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. Its patron saints are Santa María la Real de la Almudena and Saint Isidro Labrador. On 22 May 2004, the marriage of King Felipe VI, then crown prince, to

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (; born 15 September 1972) is Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. Letizia was born in Oviedo, Asturias. She worked as a journalist for '' ABC'' and EFE before becoming a news anchor at CNN+ and Televisión ...

took place at the cathedral. The

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of contemporary artists, in heterogeneous styles, from historical revivals to "pop-art" decor. The

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

Chapel features mosaics by Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik. The icons in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

were painted by Kiko Argüello, artist and founder of the

Neocatechumenal Way The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, or NCW is a program in the Catholic Church. It is inspired by the catechumenate of the early Catholic Church where converts from paganism were prepared for baptism through a process ...

. The

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

houses a 16th-century image of the '' Virgen de la Almudena''. Nearby along the

Calle Mayor Calle Mayor may refer to: * Calle Mayor (Madrid), a street in Madrid, Spain * ''Calle Mayor'' (film), a 1956 Spanish film * Calle Mayor Middle School, a middle school in Torrance, California See also * Main Street (disambiguation) Main Street ...

, excavations have unearthed remains of

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

and medieval city walls.

Notable burials

People buried at Almudena Cathedral include: * Her Majesty

Mercedes of Orléans María de las Mercedes of Orléans (24 June 1860 – 26 June 1878) was List of Spanish consorts, Queen of Spain as the first wife of King Alfonso XII. She was born in Madrid, the daughter of Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and Infanta L ...

Queen of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

(1860–1878) * His Highness Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria (1884–1958) * His Highness Jose Eugenio, Prince of Bavaria (1909–1966) * His Highness Luis Alfonso, Prince of Bavaria (1906–1983) * Her Highness Doña María de la Asunción Solange de Mesía y de Lesseps, Princess of Bavaria and Countess of Odiel (1911–2005) *

Carmen Franco, 1st Duchess of Franco María del Carmen Franco y Polo, 1st Duchess of Franco, Grandee of Spain, Marchioness of Villaverde (14 September 1926 – 29 December 2017) was the only child of Spain's ''caudillo'', General Francisco Franco and his wife, Carmen Polo y Mart� ...

(1926–2017) * Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, 10th Marquess of Villaverde (1922–1998) * Francisco de Cubas, I Marquess of Cubas (1826–1899) * Francisco de Cubas y Erice, II Marquess of Cubas, II Marquess of Fontalba and

Grandee Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

of Spain (1868–1937) * Estanislao de Urquijo y Landaluce, I Marquess of Urquijo (1817–1889) * Estanislao de Urquijo y Ussía, III Marquess of Urquijo (1872–1948) * Isabel de Maltrana y de Novales, I Marquise de Maltrana (d. 1919) * Luis de Pedroso y Madan, V Count of San Esteban de Cañongo (1876–1952) * María Dolores de Pedroso y Sturdza, VI Countess of San Esteban de Cañongo * Margarita de Pedroso y Sturdza, VII Countess of San Esteban de Cañongo (1911–1989) * Cardinal

Ángel Suquía Goicoechea Ángel Suquía Goicoechea (2 October 1916 – 13 July 2006) was a Spanish Cardinal (Catholic Church), Catholic cardinal who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid, archbishop of Madrid from 1983 until 1994. Education He was one of six ...

(1916–2006) * Fernando Rielo Pardal (1923–2004) *

Alfonso Peña Boeuf Alfonso Peña Boeuf (23 January 1888 – 1 February 1966) was a Spanish civil engineer and administrator. He was Minister of Public Works from 1938 to 1945 in the government of General Francisco Franco. He did much to reconstruct the roads and rai ...

(1888–1966) * Enrique María Repullés (1845–1922)

Gallery

Madrid. Catedral de la Almudena 5.jpg, Cathedral as seen from

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 26.JPG, Nave looking toward the sanctuary Almudena Madrid May 2014-11a.jpg, Interior of the square cupola Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 32.JPG, Nave Vault Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 28.JPG, The organ Catedral_de_la_Almudena,_Madrid,_España,_2014-12-27,_DD_27.JPG, Rear view of the main altar Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 21.JPG, Bell towers with Royal Palace in the background Cripta de la Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 43.JPG, The crypt 31659-Madrid_(35598298301).jpg, Tomb of Queen María de las

Mercedes of Orleans Mercedes may refer to: People * Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name Automobile-related * Mercedes (marque), the pre-1920 brand name of German automobile m ...

Almudena_2022_-_virgin_chapel.jpg, Altar to the Virgin of Almudena Catedral_Santa_María_la_Real_de_la_Almudena,Madrid,Comunidad_de_Madrid,España._(8542193919).jpg, Sarcophagi of Saint Isidore the Laborer

References

External links

{{Authority control Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Community of Madrid Roman Catholic churches in Madrid Neoclassical architecture in Madrid Gothic Revival architecture in Madrid Gothic Revival church buildings in Spain 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Church buildings with domes Buildings and structures in Palacio neighborhood, Madrid Neoclassical church buildings in Spain