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
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
Geographic coordinates	40.415586°N 3.714558°W / 40.415586; -3.714558
Architecture
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
Website
Website of the Cathedral

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]

References

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