Granada Cathedral

Granada Cathedral is a very large church building, mainly from the Renaissance period. The cathedral is 115 meters long and 67 meters wide . It is dedicated to the Virgin of the Incarnation.

In 1501 , the Catholic Monarchs decided to build a new, large cathedral on the site of the city's main mosque .

The work progressed slowly . Siloé died in 1563 and his design would be modified several times. For example, the west facade was designed by Alonso Cano just before his death in 1667. Construction was stopped in 1704. Of the two planned towers , the northern one remained unfinished, and from 1705 to 1759 the baroque domed church of Iglesia del Sagrario in the shape of a Greek cross was built on the site of the second tower.

The circular sanctuary of Siloé in pure Renaissance style is the most important and original architectural part of the cathedral. The diameter is 22 meters, the height to the vault 45 meters.

In the nave, the two large gilded organs from the eighteenth century are particularly striking. In the main chapel are stained glass windows from the sixteenth century, made in Antwerp, depicting the life and suffering of Jesus. In the row of niches below there is a series of seven large canvases by Alonso Cano with scenes from the life of Mary. The cathedral also has several other works by Cano, such as a statuette of The Immaculate Conception in the sacristy.

Although today separate from the cathedral, the Royal Chapel was originally envisioned as an annex. The chapel is located against the south wall of the cathedral. This is where the royal tombs are located

Willem Vandenameele