Catedral and Capilla Real
Granada’s Renaissance cathedral feels too big for its setting, boxed in and partially hidden by later buildings. It was begun in 1523 on top of the city’s main mosque and not completed until 1704. It was largely designed by Diego de Siloé and later by Granada’s Alonso Cano, known as the Spanish Michelangelo, who was responsible for its towering Baroque facade.
Inside, it’s a wedding cake of white and gold, with an impressive starry cupola, stained-glass windows, and works by the multi-talented Cano.
Next to the cathedral (and requiring a separate admission fee) is the Gothic Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). Built between 1505 and 1517, this is where the remains of the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando lie. It was their wish to be buried in recaptured Granada, not in their home kingdoms of Castilla or Aragón. Their Carrara marble tombs lie side by side with those of their daughter Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) and her husband Felipe el Hermoso (Philip the Handsome). The gilded grille here is one of the finest in Spain. In the crypt below, you can see their lead coffins, alongside the tiny casket of Miguel, Prince of Portugal, who died as a child.
The Museo Sacristía contains fascinating items belonging to the Catholic Monarchs: a crown and scepter, sword, and Isabel’s mirror, as well as her personal art collection, including Botticelli’s Agony in the Garden. An excitable audio guide tells a good story, but everything in the Capilla Real is so tangible, it’s better to press pause and take it all in firsthand.
Granada’s Renaissance cathedral feels too big for its setting, boxed in and partially hidden by later buildings. It was begun in 1523 on top of the city’s main mosque and not completed until 1704. It was largely designed by Diego de Siloé and later by Granada’s Alonso Cano, known as the Spanish Michelangelo, who was responsible for its towering Baroque facade.
Inside, it’s a wedding cake of white and gold, with an impressive starry cupola, stained-glass windows, and works by the multi-talented Cano.
Next to the cathedral (and requiring a separate admission fee) is the Gothic Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). Built between 1505 and 1517, this is where the remains of the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando lie. It was their wish to be buried in recaptured Granada, not in their home kingdoms of Castilla or Aragón. Their Carrara marble tombs lie side by side with those of their daughter Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) and her husband Felipe el Hermoso (Philip the Handsome). The gilded grille here is one of the finest in Spain. In the crypt below, you can see their lead coffins, alongside the tiny casket of Miguel, Prince of Portugal, who died as a child.
The Museo Sacristía contains fascinating items belonging to the Catholic Monarchs: a crown and scepter, sword, and Isabel’s mirror, as well as her personal art collection, including Botticelli’s Agony in the Garden. An excitable audio guide tells a good story, but everything in the Capilla Real is so tangible, it’s better to press pause and take it all in firsthand.
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