Almudena Cathedral & The Neo-Romanesque Crypt

Why is it significant?

Stand before the monumental grey and white facade of Almudena Cathedral, gazing up at the statues of Spanish saints flanking its balustrades.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Stand before the monumental grey and white facade of Almudena Cathedral, gazing up at the statues of Spanish saints flanking its balustrades. Notice how its exterior colors and classical columns match the Royal Palace directly opposite: when construction dragged on for over a century, architects deliberately altered the exterior to harmonize with the royal residence.

Although Madrid became the capital of Spain in fifteen sixty-one under King Philip the Second, the city lacked its own cathedral for more than four centuries because the powerful archbishops of Toledo fiercely opposed creating a rival diocese in Madrid! The first foundation stone was finally laid in eighteen eighty-three by King Alfonso the Twelfth.

Enter the subterranean crypt below: supported by over four hundred carved stone pillars, it is one of the largest Romanesque crypts in Spain. The upper cathedral was finally completed and consecrated in June nineteen ninety-three by Pope John Paul the Second, making it the only Spanish cathedral consecrated by a modern pope.

Walk north into the landscaped gardens of Plaza de Oriente.