If you climb up the parapet walls in Alhambra and look down on the city of Granada, it’s difficult to miss a grand, sprawling cathedral not far from the base of the hills in which Alhambra is situated. The Granada Cathedral is the second largest church in Spain and one of only two Renaissance cathedrals in the country. (Spain went all in for the Gothic look, apparently.) Admission is four euros and it’s worth spending half a day (or more, if you have it) marveling at the Baroque ornamention and the sheer ostentation of gilded wood and soaring ceilings.

Most of the gold for the cathedral came from the local Darro River, the same river full of the same mineral that drew the Romans here 2000 years ago.

Attached to (but not accessible from) the Cathedral is the Capilla Real, the royal chapel in which Isabella and Ferdinand are buried. Smaller but no less impressive, it contains among many other artifacts Isabella’s crown, Ferdinand’s sword, and the box used by Isabella to house the jewels she presented to Granada’s bankers as collateral for Columbus’ journey. Definitely worth the four euro admission price. Sadly, no photography is permitted.

Enjoy a few images and try to image the scale of this facility, which I suspect the photos will not adequately convey.