Worked started on the Almudena Cathedral in 1883 - King Alfonso XII hoped it would be the burial place of his beloved first wife Maria de las Mercedes. A devotee of the Virgin of Almudena, she died at age 18 in 1878, but could not at first be be interred in the Royal Pantheon at El Escorial as she had not produced heirs. A century later Madrid's cathedral was complete, but Maria de las Mercedes had been buried at El Escorial.
The cathedral was consecrated on June 15th, 1993.
The side of the cathedral facing the Royal Palace.
The design on the front door.
The main dome - very different to the decoration style we saw in Rome.
The chapel containing the image of the Virgin of Almudena.
The main altar and apse, again showing the artistic pattern on the ceiling.
Looking from the apse, over the altar towards the organ loft.
Inside The Royal Palace