What you’ve never been told about Granada Cathedral

There are countless articles about the impressive cathedral of Granada. They contain dates, names of artists, iconography, etc., which will certainly be of great use to you. However, in this post I would like to highlight some of the ideas and curiosities that will allow us to better understand this magnificent monument.

One of the first questions that visitors to the city usually ask is:

Why did Emperor Charles V order this huge and impressive cathedral to be built right in Granada?

If we go back to the 15th century, we will realise that Granada was one of the most important cities in Europe at that time, because of its size, its wealth and, above all, its very symbolic nature. We must not forget that it was the last city to be reconquered by the Christians and was known in Europe as the New Jerusalem.

So perhaps we can better understand why the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I, one of the most important characters of the time, decided to be buried here and turn the cathedral into a royal mausoleum.

Why is it so little known, even though it is one of the most important cathedrals of the Spanish Renaissance?

There are two main reasons for this. The first is that it was overshadowed by the Alhambra and the second is that it became less important after the construction of the Escorial near Madrid, which became the royal mausoleum.

Renaissance or Gothic?

Several architects were involved in its construction between 1523 and 1704. The most important was Diego de Siloe. This great architect came to Granada from Burgos to replace the first architect of the cathedral, Enrique Egas.

Initially, the cathedral was supposed to follow the design of a Gothic cathedral, as ordered by Ferdinand the Catholic. However, when Emperor Charles V arrived in Granada, he requested that it be completely transformed to become a Renaissance cathedral.

Charles V embodies modernity in Europe and for this he chooses to use the style known at the time as “modern”.

The essential requirement that Diego de Siloe had to respect was to conserve what had already been built.

Going from Gothic to Renaissance when the exterior walls and the start of the pilasters were already built must not have been easy.

A mausoleum in a church or a church in a mausoleum?

Diego de Siloe had two tasks to fulfil. The first was to preserve the structure that had been built up to that point. The second was that it should fulfil a dual function. It was to serve as a church but also as a mausoleum for the Habsburgs.

As a mausoleum, the absolute masterpiece of Roman architecture is Hadrian’s Pantheon.

Although during the Middle Ages it was common to contrast the longitudinal plan (that of the basilica) and the centralised plan (the mausoleum type), the Renaissance was the period in which it was developed.  And Siloé in Granada Cathedral reached the maximum refinement of this concept, which was at its peak in the first decades of the 16th century.

What happened to the towers?

At first glance at the façade, it is surprising that the tower is not finished.

It really should have had two 81-metre towers. However, the only tower built has three sections of the six planned. There is a foundation problem, as it stands on the sands of the Darro river. This meant that it was not possible to finish the first tower and the second one was not even started.

A travelling choir

In Spanish cathedrals, there are usually two different parts, the prebisterio (choir room) and the trascoro (inner choir).

The prebisterio is the part reserved for the cathedral chapter and where the private mass is celebrated. The mass for the public, however, is celebrated in the nave. In our cathedral, this second altar was located behind the altarpiece of the Angustias.

And this is exactly how the cathedral of Granada was designed by its architect Diego de Siloe until 1924, when it was decided to move first the trascoro and then the choir stalls to other parts of the cathedral.

The aim was to provide an open and direct view of the main altar from the main façade. This was achieved and is indeed impressive, but this was certainly not the architect’s intention at any time.

Who is the “fat lady” of the Cathedral?

This is the name by which the people of Granada know the largest bell in the cathedral. It weighs more than 6000 kg and is two metres in diameter.  It is the largest in Granada and the eighth largest in Andalusia.

The function of the bells in the past was fundamental. Depending on how they were rung, they were used to announce births, deaths, fires or celebrations. The city was governed by this curious means of communication.

Our Lady of the Milk

The cathedral has among many other works of art a painting by Pacheco known as the “Virgen de la Leche” (Virgin of the Milk).  The painting depicts the Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus Christ.

The image became an icon for pregnant women. They used to pray in front of the image and ask her to give them enough milk to feed their newborn. This was very important at a time when the failure to feed the baby could mean the death of the child.

A magnificent 20th century tabernacle thanks to the donation of a tourism visionary

Something that even most people in Granada do not know is when the current tabernacle arrived at the main altar.

The current one is an impressive piece of art, made of serpentine marble from the Sierra Nevada and covered in silver. In its place there have been a number of others. The first one was made by Diego de Siloe, architect of the cathedral.

The name of Pedro Duque de Galatino is familiar to all the people of Granada. Entrepreneur, visionary and ahead of his time. This great man realised that Granada could become the Switzerland of Spain and promoted the construction of a ski resort, a tramway to the Sierra Nevada, big hotels, etc.

However, he also wanted to secure a place in Heaven. For this reason, together with his wife Fernanda Salabert, he donated this great masterpiece to the Cathedral of Granada.

The Cabildo wanted to repay them and named them canocigos of the Cathedral and allowed them to be buried there.

A female freedom fighter, buried in the cathedral?

What twists and turns life takes. For more than half a century the most representative figure of freedom in our city has been resting in the central part of the Cathedral. We are talking about Mariana Pinera. This is somewhat anachronistic as she died for opposing the fascist regime and the church. For this reason, after her execution she was buried outside the walls and without even the consideration of having her name on a plaque.

Nobody would have thought that Mariana’s bones, after a long journey through her city, would end up as a political symbol and buried in the Cathedral.

I would like to invite you to discover all this and much more on my guided tours of Granada. Tours that are adapted to you and your group, full of curiosities and historical accuracy.

Go one step further and discover a different Granada.

Check all my tours at visitgranada.com and if you are already a small group do not hesitate to contact me. We will find the tour that suits your needs.

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