Almudena Cathedral

The Cathedral of Madrid, in the heart of Habsburg Madrid, has a short but intense history. The first plans for the church were drawn up in 1879 by Francisco de Cubas with the idea that it would serve as a pantheon for the deceased Queen María de las Mercedes. The foundation stone was laid in 1883, but when Pope Leo XIII issued the bull in 1885 creating the Diocese of Madrid-Alcalá, the church project was transformed into a cathedral. Cubas then created a new, more ambitious project, this time inspired by 13th-century French Gothic architecture, incorporating elements from the cathedrals of Reims, Chartres, and León. This project, which for the first time included a large Neo-Romanesque crypt, served as the basis for the final construction. The cathedral was conceived as a votive temple, erected by the people, but donations proved insufficient, and construction dragged on. In 1899, the Marquis of Cubas died, and Miguel Olabarría, Enrique María Repullés, and Juan Moya succeeded him as directors of the works. The crypt was inaugurated in 1911, but work was suspended during the Civil War and resumed, with limited resources, in 1939. From then on, aesthetic criteria changed, and a Gothic cathedral was no longer considered appropriate due to the contrast it would create with its surroundings. In 1944, the General Directorate of Fine Arts held a national competition to find a new architectural solution, which was won by Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro. Construction resumed in 1950, with the cloister completed in 1955 and the main façade in 1960. The cathedral could be considered finished in 1993. It was consecrated by Pope John Paul II on his fourth trip to Spain, on June 15, 1993. It also has a museum that houses various offerings and donations to the city's patron saints: Our Lady of Almudena and Saint Isidore the Farmer. The museum displays a journey through the life of the Church through the seven sacraments.