The Catholic Side of Granada, Spain

Though Granada is well known around the world for the Alhambra, there are also quite a number of sights of religious importance as well.

First is the Cathedral of Granada, home to the graves of Ferdinand and Isabelle, the ones who pushed the Moores out of Granada, thier last stronghold, and the same Ferdinand and Isabelle who commisioned the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria to sail across the Atlantic. You can even see them for yourself in the photo below. The caskets aren't so impressive, but the mausoleum above is fantastic, but between the security guards hovering and the fact that they were quite taller than myself, I couldn't get a good photo to show you here.

The graves of Ferdinand and Isabelle can be found in the Capilla Real (the royal chapel) which has  a separate entrance (and separate entry fee), but the cathedral itself has much to offer as well. I liked the small museum that holds the treasures of the cathedral. There you can see robes like this one below that are incredibly, intricately embroidered. I don't want to think how many hours it must have taken someone to embroider the things on display here.

After lunch on our so called religious day, we found ourselves at two different monasteries; Monasterio de San Jerónimo  and the Cartuja. Both were quite austere for the most part, as you would expect monasteries to be... until you walk into the chapels when you're overwhelmed with sights as impressive as any cathedral, just on smaller scales. Don't you agree?

I couldn't leave out a bone from one of the hundreds of relics I saw on this trip, could I?

Sacromonte and Albayzín

View of the red walls for La Alhambra from Sacromonte

The ancient neighborhoods of Sacromonte and Albayzín in Granada, Spain. Sacromonte, at the top of a hill is the home of cave dwellers and flamenco dancing, and then as you go down the hill through the labyrinth of streets, you find yourself in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Albayzín filled with charming old homes. From the top of the hill in Sacromonte, you can see beautiful views of La Alhambra, and if you walk through to the other side of the hill, you get amazing views of the lower portions of Granada, filled with ancient churches, monasteries and more old neighborhoods.

 Who owes who?

 

The easiest way we found to explore this neighborhood was to take the bus up to Sacromonte and then walk down. You can of course walk up yourself, it's less than a kilometer, but in the summer heat, it's not necessarily recommended. I also don't really recommend going in here looking for anything specific, because once you get into the labyrinth of Albyzín, maps aren't as useful as one might hope. We got more lost with the map than we did just wondering on our own!

La Alhambra

 

One of our first stops in Spain, after we left Madrid, was the Alhambra in Granada, located in Andalucia. Andalucia is well known for it's Arabic influence, and Granada is host to the grandest of all Arabic structures in Spain, La Alhambra. Once a palace and fortress for the last remaining Moores in Spain, it's name translates as "the red fortress" in Arabic. Though it's red clay walls were once whitewashed, they now stand a redish-brown for all to see from the distance. 

The most impressive thing, in my opinion about the Alhambra, or indeed, most of the Arabic architecture we saw in Andalucia, was the incredible intricate tiles and detailed patterns on nearly every surface of the palace. There's no need to hang paintings or tapestries for decoration because the structure itself is decoration. And we noted that the palace has such an uncluttered feel to it compared to other palaces and churches we've seen in our experiences. Of course, it is impossible to say how it looked back when people actually lived here. They must have had furniture and paintings to add some clutter, but we could just imagine that it must have always felt so open and airy just as it does today.

The palace was built around the theme of a "paradise on earth" and so you always feel slightly enchanted by not only the architecture, but also it's gardens and outdoor areas as well. It's tremendous gardens, reflecting pools and walkways are nearly as impressive as the buildings themselves. Can you imagine living here?

M.C. Escher spent some time here studying the interlocking patterns of the Alhambra, and you can see this influence in his artwork, if you are familiar with it.

The photo below is from the Palace of Charles V,  a holy Roman emperor who wished to build his residence close to the Alhambra in th 1500's. It's built in a Renaissance style but it's sad because next to the rest of the Alhambra, it simply can not compete in beauty and elegance.

 

La Alhambra is located in Granada in Andalucia, Spain. Entrance is most conveniently purchased at the  Librería de la Alhambra (Alhambra Book Store) located  in the center of town. Tickets are 14 euros ahead or 13 at the door, but buying ahead means no lines and you can just enter when you're ready. This is a must see in Spain, which is probably why the entire city is flooded with tourists all year round... but, it's worth it!