Preliminary project for the completion of the Almudena church in Madrid

Involved architects (2)
Involved architects
Carlos Sidro de la Puerta
Fernando Chueca Goitia

We have obviously changed the direction of all the new building that we are proposing, not to mention the style, but respecting everything that has been done and merging it with the new work. In summary and in broad outline, however, it is a classical one. Only in this way could we achieve the desired harmony with the great palace. What is more, this same harmony made it necessary to take into account the relationship between the heights of the two buildings, palace and cathedral, so that the continuity of the horizontal lines would not be broken. The cathedral's location, next to the palace on the banks of the Manzanares River and, therefore, in a prominent part of the typical Madrid skyline, which has lately come to be known as the façade of Madrid, made this even more necessary.

View gallery

It would have been a grave mistake to place a tall Gothic cathedral on this compromising vantage point, with pointed arrows and a colossal dome, which would break, not only because of the disparity of style, but also because of the mere silhouette and height, the graceful line of the Madrid skyline, which follows dilated horizontals, interrupted only occasionally by the harmonious and full curve of the domes of Madrid. Thus, taking into account this serious problem of height, we have lowered the nave of the church to the imperative horizontal position of the palace.

Consequently, the interior, designed in the Gothic style, we have also altered it, proposing a lower nave, which, however, as we shall indicate later, is of the happiest proportions, better, in our opinion, than the one originally designed, and which, following too closely the French pattern, foreign to our soil, was too high in comparison with the classical cathedrals of Spain.

Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)

On the outside, we designed entirely new façades. Firstly, the main one in the Plaza de la Armería, the most important of all, for which we have sought the greatest monumentality, as required by the fact that it faces the great south façade of the palace, we have designed it with two superimposed orders and continuous lines, with an energetic and forceful composition, so that it could withstand the proximity of the great mass of the palace without being undermined and dwarfed.

Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)

General information

Preliminary project for the completion of the Almudena church in Madrid

YEAR

1944

Address

St. Bailén, 10

28013 Madrid - Madrid

Latitude: 40.415559088

Longitude: -3.714412011

Classification

Built area

501 - 5000 m²

Awards

PNA 1944

Involved architects

Carlos Sidro de la Puerta

Fernando Chueca Goitia

Information provided by

MITMA

Website links

Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)

arrow_forwardGo to the Encyclopedia
  • Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)
  • Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)
  • Ministerio de Fomento (1944). Revista Nacional de Arquitectura (nº 36)
add

Location

40.415559088 -3.714412011 64c3bc93-291b-4812-8558-e3fdafa1611e
Click to activate the map
Built
Temporary
Lost
Unbuilt project

Cookies policy

GNOSS usa cookies, propias y de terceros, con finalidad principalmente técnica y necesaria para prestación de nuestros servicios y mostrarles contenido relevante. Más información en nuestra  política de cookies .

ACEPTA para confirmar que has leído la información y aceptado su instalación. Puedes modificar la configuración de tu navegador.