GRANADA'S CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral of Granada is one of the principal works of the Spanish Renaissance. It begins to be constructed at the beginning of the 16th century, as soon as Granada has been conquered by the Kings Católicos. They ordered his construction in the place where previously the Major Mosque of the city was, as symbol of the victory of the catholic religion on the Muslim.

The project of the Cathedral it was carried out by the emperor Carlos V - grandson of the Kings Católicos--, from the year 1523.

His construction was realized in several stages (ss. The XVth - the XVIIIth) intervening in it the most important artists of every moment between whom stand out the architects Enrique Egás, Diego de Siloé and Alonso Cano (architect painter and sculptor). In 1704, after 181 years of work the works conclude.

The first architect of the Cathedral of Granada, was Enrique Egas, author also of the Royal Chapel, which projected the foundations of a Gothic cathedral taking like model the cathedral of Toledo.

In 1529 Diego de Siloé took charge of the works. He presented a new completely different project. On the Gothic foundations he planned a Renaissance cathedral, " to the Roman ", in conformity with the new artistic trends that were coming from Italy, style more adapted for the building that was going to be the pantheon of Carlos V and his successors.

Diego de Siloé found the perfect solution to connect a Renaissance dome to a Gothic trace. He joined the floor basilical from five ships to a circular space, a rotunda of great tradition Roman and used especially in buildings of sepulchral character and that forms the major altar.

The five ships, the major and highest one is the central, are separated by high props by Corinthian attached columns, and covered with groin vaults.

 The Major Chapel, it is separated from the central ship by a great arch toral like triumphal arch, which decreases of thickness in his interior.
It is of circular floor and three bodies with two orders superposed of Corinthian columns, covered with a cupula that is decorated by windows of great beauty and by sculptures and Alonso Cano's paintings.

  The chairs of the choir is plateresca.

In the lateral chapels excellent altarpieces and paintings remain. The former chapterhouse is nowadays the place of exhibition of the exchequer of the cathedral, which also exposes pieces in the sacristy and in the cathedral Museum. It is of emphasizing Alonso Cano's Inmaculate Conception.

The temple has three doors of great beauty: the Ecce Homo, San Jerónimo and the Pardon, the latter with excellent reliefs of the Faith and the Justice.

PARDON'S DOOR

ECCE HOMO'S DOOR

SAN JERÓNIMO'S DOOR 

 

The main face was reformed by Alonso Cano in 1664 and in it they appreciate baroque elements. It is a real arch of the victory fitted by four big stirrups that shape three hollows with round arches in those who open the accesses to the interior themselves.

The decoration is formed by 4 sculptures that allude to the Former and New Testament, San Miguel and San Rafael, medallions of marble with reliefs of Evangelists, a tondo on the principal door with the scene of the Annunciation. The front is finished off by a pitcher of lilies, Marian excellent symbol.

Of both towers projected by Siloé only she became one, and this one stayed without ending, rising only 57 meters of the 81 that it had foreseen to reach.