ALMUNDENA CATHEDRAL MADRID

Dedicated to the Virgin of Almundena, Madrid's most important church occupies the same hilltop site as the Palacio Real. The Cathedral de la Almundena was designed by the Marques de Cubas in 1879, but work did not start until 1882 after the plans were changed to resemble a 13th century cathedral similar to the one at Rheims. The building was eventually completed in the 1980s by architects Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro, who bought a neoclassical influence to the design. The cathedral was finally consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993.

In May 2004 the lofty Gothic nave provided a splendid setting for the wedding of the heir to the Spanish throne, Prince Felipe and Dona Letitia Ortiz Rocasolano, a former TV news presenter.