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Almudena Cathedral

Coordinates: 40°24′56″N 3°42′52″W / 40.415586°N 3.714558°W / 40.415586; -3.714558
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
AffiliationRoman Catholic Church
ProvinceArchdiocese of Madrid
RiteRoman
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusActive
PatronVirgin of Almudena
Year consecrated15 June 1993
StatusCathedral
Location
LocationMadrid, Spain
Geographic coordinates40°24′56″N 3°42′52″W / 40.415586°N 3.714558°W / 40.415586; -3.714558
Architecture
Architect(s)Marquis of Cubas
Fernando Chueca
Architectural typeChurch
Architectural styleNeoclassical, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Romanesque
GroundbreakingApril 4, 1883
CompletedJune 15, 1993
Specifications
Length102 m
Width (nave)12.5 m
MaterialsGranite of Colmenar Viejo and marble from Novelda
Website
Website of the Cathedral
The Catedral de la Almudena

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.

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]

References

[change | change source]
  1. Essential Madrid, 2008, ISBN 1595-08220-4