The Almudena Cathedral is a surprising, modern cathedral. Not the type of cathedral I usually dissect, but I will gracefully admit that I was pleasantly astonished, at least by one part of it.
A tiny pinch of history
Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid started in 1879, when Madrid became the capital of Spain. The first stones were laid in 1883 but the architect died in 1899. Although the crypt was built and finished by 1911, the project lacked the required funding to continue.
Most of the 18th and 19th century brought plenty of turmoil for Spain. With many changes of government, WWI & II and of course the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) in between, it is no surprise that the construction of a cathedral would have been difficult.
After WWII, the project started again. A new architect was found, new plans were made as the original Gothic exteriors were no longer considered suitable… In 1950, work started again. Yes, under the Franco regime which isn’t that surprising considering Catholicism was one of the constant point of such regime, well with authoritarism, incredible sexism, repression of opposition… Oops, I’m digressing here… So finally the Almudena Cathedral was consecrated in 1993!
A dash of architecture
What makes the Almudena Cathedral extremely special is its architecture.
OK, it does have a North-South orientation, which is unlike the usual East-West orientation but isn’t that uncommon. This was done, quite understandably, to match the orientation of the Royal Palace, in front of which it stands.
So yes, its architecture.
The Almudena Cathedral has a Baroque exterior, a Neo-Gothic interior and a Roman crypt!
That is a pretty unique combination! Daring if I may say too. Surprisingly, it works.
Let’s have a quick look:
Before we go further on our tour, I must mention another point, about such cathedral, which surprised me. Catholics please skip this part!
The Virgin of Almudena
As you know, churches are usually dedicated to a Saint. The Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, Saint Michael… you name it. The Almudena Cathedral being no exception, it is dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena.
What lead me to an internet rabbit hole was the realization that the Virgin of Almudena wasn’t a person. No! The Virgin of Almudena is a statue… of Virgin Mary, yes, but still a statue!
And to my uneducated upmost surprise, this is actually not an unusual situation, on the contrary, the list of canonically crowned images which can be venerated is longer than one would suspect! Well, again this might just be my uneducated self who is surprised by this.
If you were already familiar with the canonical coronation by Papal bull of Mary, Jesus or Joseph representations, which is now codified in the book called Ordo Coronandi Imaginem Beatae Mariae Virginis published in 1981… Cheers to you!
So yes, the Almudena Cathedral is dedicated to a statue, the Virgin of Almudena, which also happens to be the patroness of Madrid and which grants the citizens a regional holiday to celebrate her, on the 9th of November.
Oh, blessed are the Christians’ rites which never cease to impress me! In case of doubts, you can read this take on the power of Sainthood!
If you want to know more about the Virgin of Almudena, do visit themakingofmadrid.com.
The visit
We’ll start by a tour of the Cathedral but what I loved most was the crypt!
The Cathedral
The nave of the cathedral lets you admire its neo-gothic architecture in all its glory.
The ceiling and paintings of the dome are quite different. Considering the date of construction of the cathedral, it isn’t a surprise to find ‘modern’ painting and decoration. Browse the picture below to see more of the contrasting colors and styles.
As you can guess from the pictures above, the fuss isn’t actually in the nave which ends in a fairly simple choir and seems to remain fairly quiet. Instead, the people are gathered in the transept where the Virgin of Almudena is displayed on the most sumptuous background.
As mentionner above, there was a mass when I visited so the access to the statue was not possible. However, when there is no mass, you should be able to walk up those stairs and see the statue up close.
The exterior
You will undoubtedly walk around the cathedral, as you will be drawn to the esplanade between the cathedral and the Royal Palace. It is bare and wide but it is stunning!
The entrance doors are simply incredible. The carving of the Statue being carried was my favorite.
The Crypt
The entrance of the crypt is on the side of the cathedral (left side when you stand in front of the entrance). There weren’t any tourists when I visited and as you can imagine, I loved that.
The crypt of the Almudena Cathedral is considered the most spectacular crypt-chapel of Spain! It certainly is impressive and special.
Most crypts are smaller in size, for they were often the remain of a former church on which a new church was built. This crypt was planned to be the same size as the cathedral it would support.
The crypt has a Latin cross shape plan with a small transept and ambulatory. It is like a forest of columns. There are apparently more than 400 of them (The nave alone being surrounded by 50 columns), each with a uniquely decorated capitals.
It is fairly dark in the crypt, as it should be maybe, for the few stained glass provide little light.
There are 20 chapels surrounding the crypt and they all are amazing in style and decorations.
Oh, those columns! I’m in love!
Things to know before you go
When visiting Madrid, a tour of the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace is a must. Beware, the palace is huge, I mean Versailles huge and considering visiting the whole area, palace, cathedral, gardens… should not be a one day endeavor.
The Almudena Cathedral has a museum which unfortunately, I did not get to visit. Maybe next time, if there is ever a next time…
For further information, you can check the official website https://museo.catedraldelaalmudena.es/english/
The museum is a must go to, if you wish to get to the Cathedral dome to admire the view.
