Royal Chapel of Granada

The Royal Chapel is located inside the Cathedral, over the place of the former Major Mosque.

It was built in several stages, mixing different styles such as Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. It is rectangular and its apse is polygonal. The Major Chapel is located in an upper level. It is one of the last ogive temples built in Spain.

It is crowned with a fretwork balustrade and seigniorial windows. It façade is in Plateresque style. Inside, the chapel has a Latin croos plan. In the side chapels there is an excellent representation of Granada pictorial and sculptural art. The transept is closed by a beautiful golden grille carried out by Bartolomé de Jaén and others by Felipe de Borgoña.

In the middle of the transept, we can find the Royal sepulchres of the Catholic Kings, by the sculptor Domenico Fancelli, that have been sculpted with marble from Carrara, and Doña Juana la Loca and Don Felipe el Hermoso´ s sepulchres, a posthumous work by Bartolomé Ordoñez (1520).

Under the sepulchres we can find the Crypt, a Royal burial place until they were moved to the Pantheon of the Escorial. The façade of the sacristy seems to be a Jacobo Florentino´ s work, which houses a small museum with objects that belonged to the Catholic Kings, such as the crown and the Queen Isabel´ s sceptre, King Don Fernando´ s sword, highlighting the private collection of Flemish boards that the Queen Isabel donated to the Chapel.

It is also important the beautiful altarpiece created by Felipe Vigarny that represents the theme of the conquest of Granada, the marvelous set of chairs of the choir and the Plateresque balustrade.

Interesting resources

   Guided Tours of Granada