A fine example of Spanish Renaissance architecture: the Cathedral of the Incarnation, City of Granada, Andalusia, Spain
City of Granada, Andalusia, Spain: Granada Cathedral or the Cathedral of the Incarnation (Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación), viewed from the Alhambra Palace. The Cathedral, Spain's second largest, was the first Renaissance cathedral in the country. Construction started in 1523 on the site of the Great Mosque and finished in 1704. Over these years, the Cathedral underwent major modifications under numerous architects. Its first chief architect was Enrique Egas, who designed it in the Gothic style. In 1529, Egas was replaced by Diego of Siloam (Diego de Siloé), a Burgos-born sculptor and architect influenced by the Italian Renaissance. Siloam planned five naves instead of the more customary three and a circular Capilla Mayor or main chapel. The main facade is Baroque, designed by Alonso Cano in 1667. Next to the cathedral is the Royal burial chapel (Capilla Real) with the mausoleum of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The name Alhambra has its origins in an Arabic word meaning "red castle" and the Alhambra Palace is amongst the finest Islamic buildings in Europe. Construction probably began in the 9th century, but the buildings standing today were built chiefly between 1238 and 1358 in the reigns of Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, the last Islamic kingdom in Western Europe, and his successors. The Alhambra became a Christian court in 1492 when Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, conquered Granada and expelled the Moors. Habsburg Emperor Charles V, who ruled Spain as Charles I (1516 - 56), destroyed part of the Alhambra to build an Italianate palace.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Cathedral of the Incarnation (Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación), City of Grana
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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