Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena

In 1083, King Alfonso VI's Christian armies reclaimed Madrid from the Moors and built a church directly on the ruins of their destroyed mosque—you're standing on that exact sacred ground nearly a thousand years later. The foundation stone for THIS cathedral was laid on April 4th, 1883, by King Alfonso XII himself, but Madrid would wait another 110 years for completion. The Spanish Civil War froze construction mid-pillar, leaving half-finished walls abandoned until 1950. The architectural audacity here is staggering: from the outside, this Neo-Classical façade mirrors the Royal Palace directly across the plaza, designed to complement rather than compete. But step through those doors and the interior transforms into soaring Neo-Gothic arcades that seem to contradict everything you see from the street. Beneath your feet lies a medieval Romanesque crypt housing over 400 limestone columns, each crowned with a different carved capital—biblical figures, nature scenes, even Madrid's own symbol. On June 15th, 1993, Pope John Paul II consecrated this building, making it the first cathedral outside Rome ever to receive papal consecration. The vibrant contemporary murals illuminating the interior bring ancient stone to life in ways few medieval cathedrals ever dreamed of. Standing here on Bailén, you're witnessing three architectural centuries in violent, beautiful conversation with one another.