The most important monuments in Granada

The city of Granada amazes all those who visit it due to the beauty of its streets, its historic buildings, its landscapes, its culture and its museums. Therefore, beyond the Alhambra, it is necessary to discover the most important monuments of Granada.

Would you like to identify the places that any tourist who travels to Granada should know? Stay and read our post, we show you everything you need to know below!

Granada Cathedral

The Cathedral of Granada is one of the most outstanding constructions of the Renaissance, being commissioned by Isabella the Catholic in 1505 and requiring almost 200 years for its construction, given that its works were not completed until 1704. Great artists participated in its creation, including Enrique Egas, Diego de Siloé, Juan de Maeda and Alonso Cano.

This monument is located right in the centre of the city and is dedicated to Santa María de la Encarnación. It is also notable for its fifteen chapels, its impressive cayor chapel with twenty-four stained-glass windows and numerous sculptures, its chapterhouse with remarkable pieces of goldsmith's work, paintings, textiles and sacred ornaments, its splendid domes and its beautiful organs.

Royal Chapel

Another of the most important sites in Granada is the Royal Chapel, as it is the place that the Catholic Monarchs ordered to be built to house their tombs.

Queen Isabella provided sufficient funds and determined in her will how the mausoleum was to be built. As a result, today we can find in the Royal Chapel the remains of Ferdinand of Aragon, Isabella of Castile, Joanna I, Philip I and the infant Michael.

Inside the Royal Chapel we can also find outstanding works of painting, sculpture and gold and silver work, with a large altarpiece that is considered to be one of the first and largest plateresque altarpieces carved in Spain.

There is also a Sacristy-Museum where the legacy of the Catholic Monarchs is kept and a Lonja, which was dedicated to banking and commerce during the 16th century.

La Cartuja Monastery

The Cartuja Monastery is one of the greatest examples of Baroque architecture and its construction began in 1516 when the Gran Capitán donated some land for its construction. He eventually withdrew from the project and the works took three centuries, so that other styles such as Gothic and Renaissance were implemented.

This monument served as a home for the Carthusian monks until 1835, who had a vow of silence and only left the monastery a couple of times a year. However, they were expelled and in 1842 the monks' cells and the cloister were destroyed.

Nowadays we can be amazed by its different rooms among which we find the compass, the cloister and the common rooms, the church, the tabernacle and the sacristy, housing magnificent works capable of capturing the attention of all visitors.

Sacromonte Abbey

The remains of the first bishop of Granada were found on the Valparaíso hill, along with some plaques, known as Libros Plúmbeos, which recounted the martyrdoms suffered by Saint Cecilio, Saint Tifón and Saint Hiscio.

After this event, the Abbey of Sacromonte was built to receive all the pilgrims who came here to pray.

In addition to the church, which is dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, the complex also consists of a seminary, a museum, a spectacular courtyard and the Holy Caves, inside which there are a series of chapels with works of art, statues and the discoveries made in 1595.

Monastery of San Jerónimo

To end this article on the most important monuments in Granada we could not forget to mention the Monastery of San Jerónimo.

Its construction began in 1492 by decision of the Catholic Monarchs in Santa Fe, although it was quickly moved to the centre of Granada and became the first Christian monastery in the city.

The church's main altar, commissioned by the wife of the Gran Capitán to be used as a family pantheon, is particularly noteworthy. For this reason, the figures and representations of the life of this great figure stand out.

Also beautiful are its two landscaped cloisters, one with its Renaissance decoration and the other dedicated to the enclosure of the Hieronymite nuns who live there, as well as being the site where the Empress Isabella of Portugal lived after her marriage to Emperor Charles I.

Why visit the most important monuments in Granada?

As you have seen throughout this article, the combination of different cultures and civilisations over the years in Granada resulted in the construction of different monuments that are home to a great architectural, artistic, heritage and historical wealth, making this province a must-visit destination.

If you would like to know in depth the most important monuments of the city of Granada do not hesitate to buy your tickets on the official website of the Archdiocese of Granada, with our combined ticket you can access all of them with a special discount! What are you waiting for to enjoy these wonders?