Cathedral and Royal Chapel in Granada - The Impact of "1492" Takahiro Ueda, Monk: Around the World in Spain 26
On the morning of the third day in Granada, today we will visit the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel in the old town of Granada.
The Cathedral is located in the center of the old town. It is also very close to Nuevo Square, where I stayed.
Cathedral seen from the Alcazar of the Alhambra.
The largest building in the center of the photo is the Cathedral.
Even from a distance, its size stands out.
Even from close up, its size is overwhelming.
They come to the front.
It is too huge to fit in the picture.
High ceilings and wide spaces created by huge pillars.
St. Vitus Cathedral in PragueThe internal structure is reminiscent of the
However, the structure of the main altar is still different.
The picture is displayed in a frame that looks like a golden gate.
The eye is drawn more to these paintings than to the stained glass windows.
And here is the main altar of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
The difference is clear.
The altar is much simpler than in Granada.
And there is no gold decoration.
Of course, there are differences in time and in country.
The Cathedral of St. Vitus, in its present form, began to be built in 1344, and this cathedral in Granada began to be built in 1518.
While it is natural that there are differences in internal structure, it is interesting to compare the differences.
There were many altars in the cloisters of the cathedral.
Many of them are decorated with gold.
It is indeed a cathedral built during Spain's Golden Age.
Spain's golden age began in 1492 with Columbus' discovery of the Americas.
Later, a large amount of gold was brought back from the Americas, and with that gold, Spain quickly became a powerful nation.
That gold is used abundantly in this cathedral.
The next stop was the Royal Chapel, a building right next to the Cathedral.
It is known that two Spanish kings, Fernando II and Queen Isabel I, are buried here.
Now, who are these two kings?
In fact, these two kings are the legendary figures who established Spain's Golden Age, known as the "Catholic Kings.
Spain.Earlier Article.But as mentioned in the previous section, most of the country had been under Muslim rule since the 8th century.
The battle to take it back was called the Reconquista, and it was these two kings who put an end to that battle, which lasted more than 700 years.
The year of that memorable event was "1492".
As of 1492, all of Spain had returned to Christian rule.
But this was actually very strange to me.
Columbus discovered the Americas in "1492".
Is this coincidence of year coincidence?
1492....too much going on, don't you think?
Why would such a coincidence of years occur in the long, long history of man?
Curious, I looked into it and came across an answer that was unexpectedly simple.
What is the answer?
Because both kings accepted Columbus' proposal after the conquest of Granada and because they had more room in their royal households."
This was the case.
Apparently, long before 1492, Columbus had presented his voyage across the Atlantic to the kings of various countries, not just Spain.
But everywhere it went, the idea was rejected, and the plan never moved forward.
That's true. Who would invest money in such a reckless venture?
It takes a huge budget to cross the Atlantic.
In a world that followed the biblical teaching that "beyond the Atlantic Ocean there are demons and the world will end," no one would gamble large sums of money to go beyond the Atlantic Ocean, "a dangerous world where there is no need to go.
But both Catholic kings of Spain were different.
The conquest of Granada had just been completed, and all of Spain was now under his control, and his national power was quickly increasing.
Furthermore, the budget previously used for Reconquista will no longer be necessary.
Yes, both kings at this time had enough time to accept Columbus' idea.I just got it.The first is the "I" in "I".
Furthermore, it was necessary to take drastic measures to catch up with Portugal, which had gotten ahead of them in maritime policy.
Columbus rows into the Atlantic Ocean at the behest of both Catholic kings.
And he returns home with results far beyond his expectations.
Not only did he discover the Indian route, but he discovered a continent where gold sleeps that seems to never end.
This would lead to the Spanish Golden Age.
No photos are available here because photography is prohibited inside the building, but the interior was much more spacious and splendid than it appeared from the outside.
I bought a souvenir postcard.
Here are the tombs of both kings.
When viewed up close, it is filled with extremely elaborate carvings.
This alone is a tremendous work of art.
And there is an underground space under this one where the coffin is stored.
As we have seen above, the year 1492 has tremendous significance in the history of Spain, and indeed in the history of the world.
The Cathedral and Royal Chapel made me think about the meaning of "1492.
be unbroken
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