Almudena Cathedral
Madrid became Spain's capital in 1561 and waited over 300 years for a cathedral — then took another 110 years to finish it.
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Construction began in 1883 on the site of a mosque destroyed in 1083, stalled through the Spanish Civil War, and wasn't consecrated until Pope John Paul II traveled to Spain in 1993. Halfway through the build, the exterior was redesigned in baroque specifically to mirror the grey and white facade of the Royal Palace standing directly opposite.
What to look for
- The baroque exterior, redesigned mid-construction to echo the grey-and-white stonework of the Palacio Real across the street
- The Neo-Gothic interior's jarring mix of historical revival chapels and pop-art decor side by side
- The Blessed Sacrament Chapel mosaics by Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik
The cathedral faces the Royal Palace — both are on the same street and straightforward to visit together.
Almudena Cathedral is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Madrid, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Madrid pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Madrid
- BernabéuThe only stadium on earth to host both a UEFA Champions League final and a Copa Libertadores final — and the first in Europe to crown both a World Cup and a Euro.
- Museo del PradoThe Spanish royal collection — 7,600 paintings accumulated over centuries — opened to the public in November 1819 and never looked back.
- Metropolitano StadiumThe pitch that staged the 2019 Champions League final will host another in 2027 — and is shortlisted for the 2030 World Cup.
- Royal Palace of MadridThe original Alcázar burned to the ground on Christmas Eve 1734 — what the Bourbons built in its place is the largest palace in Western Europe.
- Museo Reina SofíaGuernica — Picasso's 1937 painting of wartime devastation — hangs here at full scale, in person.
- Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy)A duke's private library meeting in 1711 grew into the institution that still rules what counts as correct Spanish — for Spain and 22 other Spanish-speaking nations.