The secrets of Granada Cathedral

Would you like to know the secrets of the Cathedral of Granada? Located in the Plaza de las Pasiegas, in the heart of the city, it dazzles with its great majesty. It is one of the most visited monuments in Granada, as well as in Spain, being considered one of the most beautiful cathedrals.

What are the secrets of the Cathedral of Granada?

The Cathedral of Granada was designed by Diego de Siloé and Alonso Cano, which hides great secrets unknown to most of the public that make this temple a more unique monument.

It consists of two architectural projects. The first in 1506, the late Gothic design of a polygonal chevet with five naves by Enrique Egas. The second, according to hypothesis, was a late Gothic project from 1509 based on an architectural model with a straight chevet from Seville Cathedral. And finally, there is talk of a possible third Renaissance building by Diego de Siloé from 1528.

It was not until 25 March 1523 that the first stone was laid, which was to be the pinnacle of the Spanish Renaissance.

Now that we know a little about its history, it is time to get to know the secrets of the Cathedral of Granada.

The tower of the Cathedral

One of the most curious and unknown facts is that the tower of the Cathedral of Granada has been inhabited until relatively few years ago by famous people. Only a three-storey tower was built, although in Diego de Siloé's project, the building was to consist of two towers of 81 metres and six storeys.

The fourth octagonal body was built, but due to certain problems it had to be dismantled and the rest of the tower was reinforced. The final result was a 57-metre high tower crowned by a geodesic point cairn.

Until recently, the bell ringer was living here and José Guerrero and Alonso Cano have also lived here.

Unknown jewels

The chapel houses the Virgen de la Antigua, one of the most unknown jewels, brought by the Catholic Monarchs and donated to the Cathedral. The reason for this was that the Virgin accompanied the Christian armies as their protector in the reconquest of the city.

The child holds a pomegranate as a symbol of victory, which after the capture of the city was a triumph.

Columns as a symbol of inspiration

The Cathedral of Granada has been a symbol of inspiration for various projects such as the Cube designed for CajaGranada by Alberto Campo Baeza. In the centre there are 4 columns with the same dimensions as those of the Cathedral.

In the same way, Campo Baeza's columns also have the same dimensions, but it is true that they are not the same.

Tomb of Mariana Pineda

The remains of Mariana de Pineda were buried in the Almengor cemetery. They were later transferred to the Basilica of the Virgen de las Angustias. From then on they were found in various places such as the chapel of the oratory of the Town Hall, the Church of El Sagrario and in an urn in the municipal buildings.

Finally, they were deposited in 1856 in the crypt of the Cathedral, where they remain.

The chancel as an imperial pantheon

Another of the secrets of Granada Cathedral is that the chancel was intended to be an imperial pantheon, so a special floor plan was designed. It has a high rotunda that houses the Main Chapel, the ring of the subsidiary ambulatory and a lower crown of radial chapels.

This was the initial plan when Granada was the capital of the kingdom, but it was Philip II who decided to move it to the Escorial.

What do you think of some of the secrets of the Cathedral of Granada, and were you aware of them?

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