According to the Cathedral website (https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/)
“The Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena began to take shape on December 22, 1868, when the Congregation of Slaves of the Virgin of Almudena requested permission from the Archbishop of Toledo to build another church dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena, since the first one had been demolished in the revolution of 1868.
The Congregation approached the Royal Household to request assistance for this construction, and the King and Queen agreed to donate part of the land in front of the Royal Palace for the new church. The sudden death of the queen encouraged King Alfonso XII to undertake rapid construction, as the new church, which had already begun as a parish church, would also be the burial place of Maria de las Mercedes.
The architect Francisco de Cubas y Montes was commissioned, and on April 4, 1883, King Alfonso XII laid the foundation stone of the future church. The church became a cathedral when Madrid was declared a diocese by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. The Marquis of Cubas then modified his initial project. He designed a large cathedral, in the French Florid Neo-Gothic style, with a Latin cross floor plan and side chapels connected directly by a narrow ambulatory. The transept would also have three naves, while the sanctuary would be semicircular with an ambulatory and five radiating chapels. The image of Almudena would be placed on the high altar. This project is on display in the Cathedral Museum.
The crypt was completed in 1911, but the Marquis had already died; he was succeeded as head of the works by architects Miguel Olabarría, Enrique Repullés y Vargas, and Juan Moya. The work progressed very slowly, with a logical pause between 1936 and 1939. In 1944, the Director General of Fine Arts, the Marquis of Lozoya, launched a national competition to give the cathedral a new architectural design. Architects Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro won the project and modified it to adapt it to its surroundings.
In 1944, the Director General of Fine Arts, the Marquis of Lozoya, launched a national competition to redesign the cathedral’s architecture. Architects Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro de la Puerta won the project and modified it to adapt it to its surroundings.
The most important reform was to lower the height of the new building to make it more harmonious in relation to the Royal Palace. The works were carried out gradually, depending on the circumstances. They began in 1950 in the area closest to Bailén Street, with the project for the current Archbishopric cloister. After initial progress, there was a standstill, which Cardinal Ángel Suquía ended in 1984 with the establishment of a Board of Trustees for the completion of the works. These included the Madrid City Council, the Autonomous Community, Caja Madrid, the Chamber of Commerce, the Press Association, and several important figures in the city’s life.
Other important works were carried out between 1984 and 1993, such as the complete paving of the church with cream and green Almería marble, forming simple but visually striking designs. The presbytery was also arranged according to the models of the new liturgy, inspired primarily by the recent renovations of Milan Cathedral. The altar of Our Lady of Almudena was also created, with a setting that exalted the dignity of the image incorporated into a beautiful altarpiece by Juan de Borgoña. Likewise, work was carried out in some chapels, including underfloor radiant heating, spotlight lighting, and ambient protection, as well as the installation of a public address system.”
Reference: Cathedral Website :
(https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/)
/___________________/QM\____________________\
Places Seen This Day:
Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena
Royal Palace of Madrid (kind of, the line to get in was insane, so I only saw the outside)
Royal Basilica of Saint Francis the Great (just walked past it, it was closed)
Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate): https://www.esmadrid.com/informacion-turistica/puerta-de-toledo#container
/___________________/QM\____________________\
The places I saw this trip:
/___________________/QM\____________________\
..There is so much to see in Spain, and even just in Madrid. If I wasn’t a full-time student with a ton of school work due, I would have done more and seen more. No complaints, nonetheless, being that this was an amazing adventure! Amazing people, rich culture, astonishing sites, and so much history! After Rotas (U.S. Marine Corps photo album), Toledo, Barcelona, and now Madrid, I admit that Spain is an amazing country! The Spanish Inquisition is a very dark history, but so is most of the history of the world. If you haven’t seen Spain, you definitely should. Europe is quite the location, with more than a lifetimes worth of places to see and things to do… -(QM)-
/___________________/QM\____________________\
According to the Cathedral website (https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/):
“Finally, on June 15, 1993, Pope Saint John Paul II came to Madrid to dedicate and consecrate the Cathedral, which had taken 110 years to build.
Over the following years, improvements have been made and unfinished rooms and spaces have been completed, giving it its current appearance.
Inside, the Almudena Cathedral has a Latin cross layout with a central nave, two side aisles, and a three-aisled transept, topped on one side by the patron saint’s chapel. The floor of this church is a combination of green serpentine Granada marble and polished yellow travertine; the altar table is also made of green serpentine marble. To its right is the episcopal chair, carved from walnut in the Neo-Gothic style, a work by Ramón Fonollosa in 1885.
Behind the main altar is the Crucified Christ by Juan de Mesa, commissioned by the Imperial College of Madrid. Like the choir stalls on either side of the altar, it comes from the Collegiate Church of San Isidro.
The seven mysteries of our salvation are represented in the cathedral’s presbytery: the Baptism of Jesus, the Transfiguration, the Death, the Resurrection, the Ascension into Heaven, and Pentecost. The image of Jesus Pantocrator dominates the composition in the center. Work on this presbytery was directed by Kiko Argüello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way. He also created the eight stained-glass windows that accompany it. The entire ensemble forms the so-called Mystery Crown.”
Reference: https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/
According to the Cathedral website (https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/):
“Behind the ambulatory, the central chapel stands out, dedicated to Saint Isidore the Farmer and his wife, Saint Mary of the Head. The Baroque-style images of both saints (17th and 18th centuries) are attributed to Villabrille and Ron and flank the funerary chest that contained the saint’s incorrupt remains, currently housed in the Collegiate Church of San Isidro. This 13th-century chest features scenes from the life of Saint Isidore painted in oil on stucco leather. On the side of the ambulatory, you can see an altarpiece by Domingo Becerrill, Berruguete’s son-in-law, depicting the life of Saint Peter. Beneath the altarpiece is the stele of Almudena, made by the silversmith Manuel Carrera in 2011 and funded by the Villa y Corte Foundation. The rest of the chapels are dedicated to contemporary saints, either from Madrid or associated with the city.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was decorated with mosaics in 2011 by Father Ivan Marko Rupnik, SJ, head of the Aletti Center’s art studio. His work is primarily liturgical. He was also responsible for the decorations of the main sacristy and the chapter house, completed in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
Of great value is a Stations of the Cross with fourteen stations in the Flemish Neo-Gothic style, which was created in Germany in the late 19th century. It is painted in oil on copper and has a hand-decorated chestnut wood frame. Among the stained-glass windows, the most notable are those dedicated to the Virgin of Atocha, Saint Isidore the Farmer, the Coronation of the Virgin of the Fleur-de-Lis, and the Angels.
The main façade features a bell gable with sculptures by Ramón Chaparro: Saint Isidore, Saint Mary of the Head, Saint Ferdinand, and Saint Teresa of Jesus flank an enthroned image of the Virgin of Almudena. The coats of arms at the bottom of the façade represent the full arms of the Spanish Royal Family and the papal coat of arms.
The doors, like the sculptures located in the dome, are the work of Luis Sanguino.
In 2007, the Almudena Cathedral Museum was inaugurated, preserving and exhibiting pieces from the Cathedral Chapter and Congregations’ deposits.
Beneath the Almudena Cathedral lies the crypt designed by Francisco de Cubas. It is an all-stone construction with a stone vault and 558 columns, 50 of them monolithic. All the capitals are unique and carved. The crypt is filled with family tombs, including those of the cathedral’s two most significant architects, the Marquis of Cubas himself and Chueca Goitia. The main altar is presided over by an image of the Virgin of Almudena from 1948.”
Reference: https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/
According to the Cathedral website (https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/):
“Behind the ambulatory, the central chapel stands out, dedicated to Saint Isidore the Farmer and his wife, Saint Mary of the Head. The Baroque-style images of both saints (17th and 18th centuries) are attributed to Villabrille and Ron and flank the funerary chest that contained the saint’s incorrupt remains, currently housed in the Collegiate Church of San Isidro. This 13th-century chest features scenes from the life of Saint Isidore painted in oil on stucco leather. On the side of the ambulatory, you can see an altarpiece by Domingo Becerrill, Berruguete’s son-in-law, depicting the life of Saint Peter. Beneath the altarpiece is the stele of Almudena, made by the silversmith Manuel Carrera in 2011 and funded by the Villa y Corte Foundation. The rest of the chapels are dedicated to contemporary saints, either from Madrid or associated with the city.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was decorated with mosaics in 2011 by Father Ivan Marko Rupnik, SJ, head of the Aletti Center’s art studio. His work is primarily liturgical. He was also responsible for the decorations of the main sacristy and the chapter house, completed in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
Of great value is a Stations of the Cross with fourteen stations in the Flemish Neo-Gothic style, which was created in Germany in the late 19th century. It is painted in oil on copper and has a hand-decorated chestnut wood frame. Among the stained-glass windows, the most notable are those dedicated to the Virgin of Atocha, Saint Isidore the Farmer, the Coronation of the Virgin of the Fleur-de-Lis, and the Angels.
The main façade features a bell gable with sculptures by Ramón Chaparro: Saint Isidore, Saint Mary of the Head, Saint Ferdinand, and Saint Teresa of Jesus flank an enthroned image of the Virgin of Almudena. The coats of arms at the bottom of the façade represent the full arms of the Spanish Royal Family and the papal coat of arms.
The doors, like the sculptures located in the dome, are the work of Luis Sanguino.
In 2007, the Almudena Cathedral Museum was inaugurated, preserving and exhibiting pieces from the Cathedral Chapter and Congregations’ deposits.
Beneath the Almudena Cathedral lies the crypt designed by Francisco de Cubas. It is an all-stone construction with a stone vault and 558 columns, 50 of them monolithic. All the capitals are unique and carved. The crypt is filled with family tombs, including those of the cathedral’s two most significant architects, the Marquis of Cubas himself and Chueca Goitia. The main altar is presided over by an image of the Virgin of Almudena from 1948.
The crypt houses the oldest image of Mary in Madrid: the Virgin of the Fleur-de-Lis, which comes from the original church of Santa María. It is a mural painting that was discovered in 1623, when King Philip IV and Queen Isabella of Bourbon visited the church and the sacristans moved the altarpiece to clean it. Dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, it features a mural painting of the Virgin enthroned by the Savior with a fleur-de-lis in her hand and a red cross beneath her feet, commemorating the collaboration of the Order of Calatrava in the reconquest of the city.”
Reference: https://catedraldelaalmudena.es/
#iAMToledo
According to https://www.esmadrid.com/informacion-turistica/puerta-de-toledo#container:
/___________________/QM\____________________\
..Wrapped the trip up with some delicious coffee (it was really good) so I could have the energy to read 2 chapters, take a quiz, and complete a writing assignment for my Library Collection Development class. Ms. Marshall of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is an excellent professor! The USM School of Library and Information Science is an excellent institution!… -(QM)-
#StudentForLife #USM #BLIS #MLIS
#QuantumMinister #DivinityDoctor #QM000 #iAMToledo #BookDetective #IAMYOU #VoyagerTree #Traveler
/___________________/QM\____________________\
Dr. Anthony J. TOLEDO
Doctor of Divinity
Spiritual Alchemy Foundation of Enlightenment Inc.