Madrid’s 20th Century Cathedral

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There is no shortage of cathedrals in Europe. They seem to be a dime a dozen. We’ve heard even the most seasoned of European travelers utter the phrase “yet another cathedral”, and perhaps have been guilty of it ourselves from time to time.

With only a handful of exceptions, like Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family) cathedral in Barcelona, they are ancient by American standards. Construction on the Notre Dame (Our Lady) in Paris began in the 12th century. Construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City began in the 16th century, replacing a prior cathedral more than a thousand years old even then. They are so impressive, so grand, you often wonder if such a work of architectural marvel could still be pulled off today.

The cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena (as it’s formally known) of Madrid answers that question: construction began in 1879 and was completed in 1993. It was consecrated by Saint Pope John Paul II. The slow, methodical century of construction proceeded even as Spain went to war with the United States, the “War to End All Wars” ravaged Europe, Spain was decimated by a civil war, World War II devastatingly disproved the war-to-end-all-wars myth of WWI, and the cold war played on for decades.

Like Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the cathedral’s plan is a typical basillica cross with long nave, side transepts, and an apse; but unlike Gaudi’s modern cathedral in Barcelona, the Almudena of Madrid is classical in styling. The columns are imposing gothic stone, the arches in the 12th century French style. In fact, if it weren’t for the chapels dedicated to modern saints and the modern art found throughout the cathedral, it might be hard to tell that Almudena was consecrated just 20 years ago. We’ll leave you with a few images of that art to contemplate, as we did when we visited this wonderful 20th century cathedral.