SAN ISIDRO CATHEDRAL MADRID

The bulky twin towers of this cathedral were designed to emphasize the importance of the church that is dedicated to Madrid's patron saint. Built between 1622 and 1633, the interior is in the shape of a cross, with the dome above the transept. After Carlos III expelled the Jesuits in 1767, he commissioned the noted architect Ventura Rodriguez to remodel the gloomy interior. For over 200 years, the remains of San Isidro and Santa Maria de la Cabeza, his equally holy wife, have been venerated here.