Kathedrale von Granada, Königliche Kapelle & das Ende der Reconquista
The Catedral de Granada (begun 1523 — the first Renaissance cathedral in Spain, designated on the site of the Great Mosque of the Nasrid Emirate) and the Capilla Real (the Royal Chapel — built 1505-1521 as the mausoleum of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, the patrons of Columbus) together mark the moment on January 2, 1492, when Granada fell to the Christian reconquest and Spain's history changed forever.
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Royal Chapel — Ferdinand and Isabella's Final Resting Place
The Capilla Real (Royal Chapel, 1504–1517, adjacent to Granada Cathedral) is the private mausoleum of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella — their leaden coffins (and those of their daughter Juana 'La Loca' and her husband Philip 'The Handsome') lie directly below the marble effigies in the sacristy; Isabella's personal art collection (Flemish Primitives, Botticelli) is displayed in the adjacent museum.
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Granada Cathedral — Gothic Meets Renaissance
Granada Cathedral (begun 1523, Diego de Siloé's Renaissance rotunda over a Gothic structure, the first Renaissance cathedral in Spain) is built on the site of Granada's main mosque — the five-nave interior is lit by 18 stained glass windows; the Royal Chapel entrance is through the cathedral's south facade; the combined ticket costs €5 and includes the cloister.
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Alcaicería — Silk Market in the Old Nasrid Quarter
The Alcaicería (beside the cathedral) was the Nasrid dynasty's silk market, the most valuable commercial space in the medieval Islamic world — it was burnt and rebuilt as a pastiche in 1843 after a fire destroyed the original; the narrow lanes now sell ceramics, leather goods, and taracea (inlaid wood boxes); the surrounding Zacatín street was the Jewish quarter.
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Corral del Carbón — 14th-Century Caravanserai, Now Concert Hall
The Corral del Carbón (Mariana Pineda Street) is the best-preserved Nasrid caravanserai in Spain (1336) and the oldest Islamic building in Granada after the Alhambra — merchants stored goods and lodged here; the three-storey courtyard (horseshoe arched entrance, 13m tall, tiered wooden galleries) now hosts flamenco and classical concerts in summer; free entry.
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Reconquista Timeline — From Islamic Emirate to Catholic Kingdom
Granada's Nasrid Emirate (1238–1492) was the last Islamic state in the Iberian Peninsula — Muhammad XII (Boabdil) surrendered the city keys to Ferdinand and Isabella on January 2, 1492 (the 'Día de la Toma'); the event is commemorated annually in Granada with historical reenactments; the Alhambra's surrender changed European history by freeing Spanish resources to fund Columbus's voyage 10 days later.
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La Madraza — Granada's Medieval Islamic University
La Madraza (Oficios Street, opposite the Royal Chapel) was a Nasrid university founded in 1349 by Sultan Yusuf I — one of the last surviving medieval madrasa buildings in Europe; the prayer hall's stucco decoration is comparable to the Alhambra; after 1492 the building served as Granada's city hall; restoration since 2005 has uncovered original polychrome plaster hidden under whitewash.