Capilla Real

After we spent the morning at the Alhambra (and had procured a substantial lunch!), it was time to hit the Capilla Real, one of Granada’s Christian buildings. For the history buffs (like Brian), the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando commissioned the chapel as their personal mausoleum built in elaborate Isabelline Gothic style. Undoubtedly constructing a church of this magnitude requires a certain degree of time; in fact, it wasn’t completed until 1521, several years after their deaths. The solution? They were temporarily buried in the Alhambra’s Convento de San Francisco.

Today, the monarchs rest with three relatives in basic lead coffins in the crypt, just beneath their marble monuments in the chancel. From left to right, the coffins belong to Felipe El Hermoso, Fernando, Isabel, Juana la Loca, and Miguel, the eldest grandchild of the Catholic Monarchs.

One of the highlights to a visit to the Capilla Real is the chance to see Fernando’s sword and Isabel’s scepter, silver crown, and personal art collection, which all form part of a small museum located in the sacristy.