Almudena Cathedral

Madrid became a capital in 1561 without a cathedral, and the see was not created until 1885; construction began in 1883 to a neo-Gothic design, resumed in the 1950s with a neoclassical exterior to match the Royal Palace opposite, and finished only in 1993, when John Paul II consecrated it, the first Spanish cathedral he consecrated. The long gestation shows: a grey classical facade, a neo-Gothic interior structure, and decoration completed in the 1990s and 2000s in a bright contemporary idiom, with brightly painted ceilings, icons in the apse by Kiko Arguello and modern stained glass. A crypt from the earliest phase, neo-Romanesque with hundreds of columns, lies beneath, and the museum gives access to the dome.

History

Madrid had no cathedral when it became the capital in 1561. Francisco de Cubas designed a church whose foundation stone was laid in 1883, and after the Madrid-Alcalá bishopric was created in 1885 it was redesigned as a Gothic Revival cathedral; Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the exterior to the Royal Palace from 1950, and Pope John Paul II consecrated it in 1993 (Wikipedia, Almudena Cathedral).

What's there

• The modern interior decoration - bright geometric ceiling panels from the 1990s.
• The neo-Romanesque crypt - hundreds of columns beneath the main church.
• The dome walk - a museum route ending on the roof with city views.
• The palace facade - a classical front matching the Royal Palace opposite.

When to go

Year-round; the cathedral is free to enter with a donation, while the museum and dome charge and keep shorter hours. Services close it periodically. The dome view is best in clear weather.

Good to know

The mixture of periods and styles is jarring and many visitors find the interior decoration unappealing. It has none of the age of Spain's great cathedrals. The dome access involves a long stair climb.

Nearby

The Royal Palace is directly opposite; Plaza de Oriente and the Opera lie north.

Key facts