The Almudena Cathedral in Madrid

The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena, commonly known as the Almudena Cathedral is a fairly young cathedral by Spanish standards, its construction began in 1883 and finished over a century later, when it was consecrated in 1993.

The outside of the cathedral has baroque nuances and has a double dome.

The imposing main facade has a great portico with two rows of columns. Their lower part shows a Tuscan influence, whereas the upper section imitates the Ionic order. There is also a baroque niche hosting the Virgin of Almudena, which was placed there after the consecration of the temple. There are also four statues by sculptor Ramon Chaparro: San Isidro Labrador, Santa Maria dela Cabeza, Santa Teresa de Jesus and San Fernando.

We were struck by the sculpted doors

The Neo-Gothic interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of contemporary artists, in heterogeneous styles, from historical revivals to pop-art decor.

I loved the very modern stained glass

There was a long line of people queuing to kiss the icon.

My favourite part was the praying chapel, for its simplicity and beautiful mosaic drawings

The chest in this chapel is a funerary chest in which the body of Saint Isidro, the Patron Saint of Madrid, is preserved. It is one of the oldest pieces of furniture that exists in Madrid. 

It was made at the late 13th century. It consists of a parchment-covered pinewood frame with partially preserved linear Gothic paintings, depicting three miracles attributed to Saint Isidro.

After the Cathedral we visited the crypt

which follows a Neo-Romanesque style and keeps a 16th century depiction of the Virgin of Almudena.

The crypt has more than 400 columns with capitals. They mostly portray biblical figures and elements of nature.

Surrounding the perimeter of the crypt are 20 chapels. Each one is beautifully decorated with figures, paintings, mosaics and other works of art. There are also several colourful stained glass windows.

The floor was covered with tombstones, many of them very recent, and flowers or plant pots were placed on the graves

more graves on the wall in one of the chapels

Finally, a sarcophagus.