Almudena Cathedral
Santa María la Real de La Almudena is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Madrid ( Spain ).
history
The first plans for the construction of a new church, which one wanted to dedicate to St. Mary of the Almudena (from Arabic al-mudayna , citadel; a title of the Mother of God Mary as the city patroness of Madrid), emerged as early as the 16th century. However, construction of the cathedral did not begin until the 19th century and was only finished in 1993. In that year the cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul II and at the same time elevated to the status of episcopal church of the Archdiocese of Madrid (from the foundation of the diocese in 1885, the Colegiata de San Isidro had initially served as a temporary cathedral).
Although the church was started in the neo-Gothic style , the cathedral was eventually built in the neoclassic style to match the style of the adjacent royal palace . The interior of the Almudena Cathedral is uniquely modern, with a “Pop Art” decor, designed by the icon painter Kiko Argüello .
On May 22nd, 2004 the first royal wedding took place in the cathedral with the wedding of Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano .
On February 7, 2013, a bomb attack on the cathedral was prevented after a clergyman found an explosive device near a confessional. The cathedral was then cleared and cordoned off in large areas before the explosive device could be defused.
Furnishing
The cathedral is built in the shape of a Latin cross, consisting of the central nave, flanked by two side aisles, which continues into the choir, which is surrounded by an ambulatory, to which a wreath of five chapels adjoins. In contrast to the external appearance, which is dominated by neoclassical and baroque style elements, the interior is largely built in the neo-Gothic style. Most of the furnishings are also neo-Gothic.
In the south transept is the altar of the Virgen de la Almudena , the patroness of Madrid. The middle chapel is dedicated to St. Isidoro Labrador and his wife, St. María de la Cabeza , whose portraits in the 17th / 18th centuries. Century by the sculptor Juan Villabrille y Ron. They flank a sarcophagus from the 13th century, in which the bones of the saint were kept for a while. The sarcophagus is painted with various scenes from the lives of the saints. Maria de las Mercedes d'Orléans-Montpensier , Queen of Spain, has also been buried in the Almudena Cathedral since 2000 .
The chapels flanking the nave to the left and right are dedicated to contemporary saints, including a. the Opus Dei founder Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer , the holy priest Pedro Poveda , the founder of the order Maria Josepha Sancho or the Carmelite Maravillas de Jesús . All chapels are decorated in a contemporary style.
Also of particular importance are the cathedral windows, especially the apse, which were completed in 2004.
organ
The organ was built in 1999 by the organ builder Gerhard Grenzing (El Papiol, Barcelona). The instrument has 70 stops on four manuals and a pedal . The organ case is designed based on the work principle; With the exception of the swell , the individual organ works are also visible in the prospectus . The Rückpositiv is not located directly in the organist's back, but is distributed over two small housings, each of which is located on the side of the console. One of the special features of the instrument is the large-sized trumpet or solo movement, which, in addition to the typical Spanish trumpets based on the classic Iberian organ building tradition, also has other registers in the iSe solo movements. The game actions (hanging actions) are mechanical.
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- Coupling: I / II, III / I, III / II, IV / II, III 16 ′ / II, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P, IV 4 ′ / P
Bells
A total of 21 bells hang in the two towers of the cathedral.
In the wall openings of the east and west towers hang 4 bells each , which are rung in a rollover procedure. The (larger) bells in the west tower were cast in 1998 by the bell foundry Ocampo (Arcos de Condesa), the (smaller) bells in the east tower were cast by the bell caster Quintana (Saldana) in 2003-2004.
No. |
Surname |
Caster |
Casting year |
Diameter (cm) |
Weight (kg) |
Nominal (16th note) |
tower |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Benedicta | Quintana, Campanas (Saldana) |
2003 | 105 | 670 | f sharp 1 | east |
2 | Ancilla Domini | 117 | 927 | it 1 | east | ||
3 | Magnificat | 131 | 1302 | it 1 | east | ||
4th | Gratia Plena | 2004 | 140 | 1589 | of the 1st | east | |
5 | Santa Maria de la Flor de Lis | Ocampo, Artesanos Campaneroas (Arcos de Condesa) |
1998 | 138 | 1522 | it 1 | west |
6th | Santa María de Atocha | 140 | 1589 | e 1 | west | ||
7th | Santa Maria de la Paloma | 146 | 1802 | h 0 | west | ||
8th | Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena | 155 | 2156 | b 0 | west |
Inside the east tower hangs a 13-part carillon that was cast in 2003 by the bell caster Quintana (Saldana). The bells weigh between 37 and 579 kg; their diameters are between 40 and 100 cm. It has the beat notes c 1 - c 2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ orf.at on February 7, 2013
- ↑ Information on the design and furnishings of the cathedral ( Memento from August 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
- ↑ To the disposition
- ↑ More information on the conception of the organ .
- ↑ More information about the bells
- ↑ More information about the individual bells
Web links
- Cathedral homepage on the Archdiocese of Madrid website
- Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, Madrid
Coordinates: 40 ° 24 ′ 56 " N , 3 ° 42 ′ 52" W.