LLEI D'ART 13

1911onwards, thebuildingpacewas severely slowedby technical, political and financial reasons; all of whichwere complicatedby the outbreak of theSpanishCivilWar in 1936 and the obvious interruptionof all buildingwork. A third architect, JoséMorenoTorres, was theperson in charge of restarting aproject that had never really got off the ground thanks todisagreements about style until well into 1950, whenFernandoChuecaGoitia andCarlosSidro were appointed. Their project respected the neoclassical façade, neo-Gothic interior andneo-Romanesque crypt withByzantine influences: a relatively unconventional mixwhose aesthetic resultswere somewhat doubtful according tomany experts. Itmaywell be that deCubas’s original designmight havebeen themore intelligent option. Althoughwork officially finished in1993, whenPope John Paul II travelled toMadrid to consecrate the cathedral, glassworkwas still beingplaced in 1999, alongwithother retouches anddecoratingof doubtful taste considered excessively ornate not only by experts, but also laymen. Noted asSpain’s largest andmost impressive example, the cathedral’s crypt is supportedonover 500 columns, 50of which aremonoliths that openonto the altar. They are notable for their height and the highquality of the stone used, and each column has different carving and capitals. The crypt has niches and columbaria that allow themanon the street thepossibility of laying their nearest anddearest to rest together with some famous characters, especially nobles and thewell-to-dobourgeoisie. This is becauseAlphonseXII’swife,MaríaMercedes, endedup not beingburied there, despite this being the original aim –her remains are at rest in theMonastery at El Escorial. This kindof luxury burial in sacredground is something that seems tobequite the trend amongst the city’s wealthy, or evenbeyond –it appears that togain access toone of these historic, emblematic spaces one needn’t be a king, pope, cardinal or bishop; rather one just needs the economicwherewithal tomeet the archdiocese’s requirements. It never rains but it pours. Catedral deSantaMaría laReal de laAlmudena,Madrid/ AlmudenaCathedral, Madrid. Catedral NuestraSeñora de laAlmudena. Cripta/ Cathedral of Almudena Cúpulade laCatedral Nuestra Señorade laAlmudena/ Domeof theCathedral of Almudena 47