Picture of Neoclassical facade of Almudena Cathedral facing the Royal Palace (Madrid, Spain)

Side entrance of Almudena Cathedral facing the Royal Palace

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It might seem small compared to the Royal Palace next door, but once you are inside, Almudena Cathedral dwarfs you. It also surprises with its modern religious art.
Unlike many other cities in Europe, the cathedral of Madrid is actually a new building. Once the site of a mosque and a church dedicated to one of the patron saints of Madrid, Santa María de la Almudena, it took several centuries before construction of the cathedral was actually started in the 19th century. Even then, it took some 100 years before it was completed, and the cathedral was consecrated only in 1993 by Pope John Paul II. In fact, if you think the statue in front of the main entrance looks familiar, it is: it is a statue of that same pope. He is also represented on one of the enormous doors decorated with sculptures, another example of modern-day version of classical religious elements.
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