Granada Cathedral

The Conquest of Granada

Granada Cathedral was built at the request of Queen Isabella following the conquest of Granada in which the Muslims who still ruled in Granada at the time were finally defeated. The Cathedral was built on the site of the former Mosque. Queen Isabella´s Husband intended that the cathedral become his burial place. However, for some reason, he chose to be laid to rest elsewhere. The early plans for the Granada Cathedral had Gothic designs; however the main construction of the church occurred when Renaissance style architecture was influential in Spain. As a result, and owing to the fact that the cathedral took 181 years to be built, a variety of styles can be detected in the construction of Granada Cathedral.  

Diego de Siloé

In the 1700´s, ornate Baroque elements were introduced to the cathedral’s façade. The original plans for the cathedral feature two large towers; however these were not built due to financial difficulties. Nevertheless, the façade of the cathedral is grand due to the baroque style which has been adopted. One of the architects to work on the Cathedral was Diego de Siloé. He was greatly admired for his ability to create a Renaissance dome with a Gothic floor plan. The dome is a feature in the main chapel and is decorated with stained glass.

Paintings & Sculptures: The chapel has many spectacular painting and sculptures including statues of the catholic kings. The cathedral has three entrances all of which are decorated with ornate carvings. There is an exhibition in Granada which displays the most precious items from the cathedral including a painting of the Virgin Mary entitled “La Inmaculada”. Entrance to the Cathedral costs €3, 50 per person and children go free. The Cathedral is open between November and March and between 11am and 7pm, shutting for a siesta in the middle of the day.