Crypt of the Almudena Cathedral

Located opposite the Arab Wall, directly below the Almudena Cathedral, lies this beautiful temple built in the Neo-Romanesque style, with a Latin cross floor plan. Its most striking feature is its more than 400 columns crowned with unique capitals, each evoking biblical figures and motifs from nature, as well as the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the symbol of Madrid.

Same in size as the cathedral, the crypt is considered one of the largest in all of Spain. The façade boasts medieval influences, with a triple doorway featuring a semicircular arch. It is dominated by an image of Our Lady of Almudena, patron saint of Madrid, alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Isidore, sheltered by an ambulatory. The crypt has five naves and 20 chapels along its sides. Artists such as Benlliure, with his reliefs, and Maumejean, with his magnificent stained-glass windows that illuminate the chapels, have contributed to its design. The decoration of the oldest chapels blends mosaics in the Byzantine tradition, reliefs and images of classical proportions, as well as Gothic-style stained glass. The votive lamps hanging from the ceiling are inspired by the Treasure of Guarrazar, found in Toledo in the mid-19th century. One of its treasures is the image of Our Lady of the Fleur-de-Lis, possibly the oldest image of the Virgin Mary venerated in the city.