The Tomb of Spain’s Great Catholic Monarchs

The Royal Chapel of Granada, known as Capilla Real, is the final resting place of Spain’s historic Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Isabella and Ferdinand oversaw the Reconquista of Spain with their final victory over the North African Moors in Granada in 1492. After gaining the surrender of the last Moorish sultan, Boabdil and driving him from his mighty citadel , The Alhambra , they made Granada their capital. In the same year They also financed Columbus ‘ discovery of America in the same year.

Commissioned by royal decree in 1504 and completed in 1517, this late Gothic masterpiece stands as a monument to the end of the Reconquest and the birth of a unified Spanish kingdom.

Inside the pantheon are the Imperial Mausoleums: The centerpiece features two towering, finely detailed Carrara marble tombs. One belongs to Isabella and Ferdinand, sculpted by Domenico Fancelli. The other holds their daughter, Joanna the Mad, and her husband, Philip the Handsome.

Below the grand marble monuments lies a small, stark torch-lit underground crypt. Visitors can view the actual lead coffins containing the royal remains, marked simply with the first initial of each monarch’s name on the lid.

A monumental wrought-iron screen dominates the interior transept. It is widely considered one of the finest examples of 16th-century ironwork in Spain.
The adjacent sacristy museum houses a priceless collection of Queen Isabella’s personal belongings. This includes her imperial crown and scepter, King Ferdinand’s sword, and a world-renowned gallery of 15th-century Flemish, Italian, and Spanish paintings.

Although it is physically connected to the immense, Renaissance-style Granada Cathedral, which is located just below the Alhambra ,the Royal Chapel is an entirely separate monument with its own distinct ticketed entrance. The sharp contrast between the chapel’s intricate Gothic pinnacles and the Cathedral’s soaring Renaissance columns showcases a dramatic architectural shift over just a few short decades.

Destination: Spain