Soon after the Catholic Monarchs finally had conquered Granada, plans were made for a massive 5-nave cathedral on the site of the Grand Mosque downtown.

Due to a lack of funds and focus it took 30 years before actual construction started and it was not before 1704 that the Granada Cathedral was finally finished.

Scores of architects left their marks on the design, notably ill-tempered  Alonso Cano who designed the huge main facade and painted and sculptured several pieces of art himself.

Originally the Royal Chapel was part of the cathedral but nowadays this last resting place for the Catholic Monarchs has a separate entrance. Taking pictures is not allowed here.

Philip II skipped plans for Granada to be the last resting place for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and had his his father buried in nearby Madrid instead.

Highlights of the cathedral are the high roofed main chapel (Capilla Mayor), the many side chapels, some with paintings from El Greco and Alonso Cano and the 18th century organs.

We visited the cathedral in April 2019.