During last week, some of our students went on our visit to the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel of Granada, accompanied by one of our teachers, Roberto Arias. This visit, which is part of our programme of weekly activities, is very interesting due to the history surrounding both buildings. Let us tell you a little bit about them.
The Cathedral of Granada
It is one of the oldest cathedrals in the Christian West. It is a temple of Renaissance style, and its construction (1526-1561) coincided with the construction of the Christian palace of the Alhambra, the Chancellery and the University, since during his reign Charles I of Spain wanted to turn Granada into a model city of the 16th century.
The Royal Chapel of Granada
This place, which is next to the Cathedral, was built by order of the Catholic Kings, Isabel and Fernando, when on 13 September 1504 both decided that his remains should be buried in Granada. This is a literal fragment of the letter of privilege of the Catholic Monarchs:
Primeramente mandamos que en la Iglesia Catedral de la ciudad de Granada se haga una honrada capilla en la cual sean, cuando la voluntad de Nuestro Señor fuere, nuestros cuerpos sepultados.
They wanted to be buried in this new building in Granada, and a new institution was created with personnel and funding. And so here you will find the tombs of the Catholic Kings (Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile), along with the remains of Joanna I of Castile, Philip I, and Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal. This Gothic construction was built between the years 1505 and 1517.
The walk was very interesting thanks to the teacher’s explanations, and our students spent a fantastic afternoon in the centre of the city of Granada.
Visit to the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel of Granada
