File:Courtyard @ Cathedral of the Incarnation (Catedral de lo Anunciacion), Granada, Spain.jpg

English: GRANADA, The Granada Cathedral, better known as the Cathedral of the Incarnation (Catedral de lo Anunciacion)

A cherubic looking street musician looking upward toward the heavens, playing outside of the Granada Cathedral, a masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance style, the 4th largest Cathedral in the world.

This cathedral stands out for its imposing, magnificent structure. The Cathedral is located in the center of the Muslim area and was originally intended as the royal mausoleum of Charles I of Spain, it later changed to have religious purposes. It was built by Queen Isabella immediately after the conquest of Granada on the site of the ancient Mosque. Its stunning majesty is apparent. The cathedral displays royal features such as triumphal arches, pillars and Corinthian columns. The building beautifully blends different architectural styles. Its circular elements are inspired by the idea of ‘perfect building’.

At the time, the original architect was Enrique Egas, who was part of the Old Gothic school. Egas put down the foundation of the cathedral in Gothic style, but he was soon replaced by the architect Diego de Siloé, who convinced the King to change the design from Gothic to the Renaissance style. He found the perfect way of combining a Renaissance dome with a Gothic floor plan.

The cathedral took 181 years to “complete”, with work starting in 1518, opened in 1561, the impressive facade of the cathedral was designed in 1667 by Alonso Cano in a Baroque style, with construction “ending” in 1703 (the project was paused for a few years in the early stages). It took six architects a staggering 185 years to complete.