The second largest nave in Spain

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Prado is located in Ciudad Real, Spain. Construction began in the 15th century in Gothic style, although it has elements of late Romanesque, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. It has undergone many restorations, with the first remodelling credited to Alfonso X since the Romanesque period. The construction was completed in the mid 16th century after the construction of the roof vaults. The tower was built in the early 19th century.

The oldest part of the cathedral is the Door of Forgiveness from the late 13th or early 14th century, which may have been reassembled later. It was probably the door of the primitive chapel which stood on the site of today's cathedral church. The cathedral was built in stages, combining the Gothic and Renaissance styles. The apse dates to the early 15th century, the eastern section of the nave is from 1514 while the remainder was completed c. 1580. The cathedral consists principally of a huge nave, 34 m (112 ft) high, 53 m (174 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) wide, the second largest in Spain after that of the cathedral in Girona.

Since 1875, it is the priory of four military orders of Spain (Calatrava, Montesa, Santiago and Alcántara). The structure is a monument indexed in the Spanish heritage register of Bien de Interés Cultural. The church of Santa Maria del Prado gained the status of cathedral by papal bull in 1981.

The cathedral includes a magnificent Baroque altarpiece dedicated to the patron saint of Ciudad Real. The carved walnut pews are from the first half of the 18th century. The Sacristy contains many paintings and a chest of drawers made in a Baroque style.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons