Qualla: Malaga Cathedral

Malaga Cathedral: Introduction

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit JakobHosp, CC0. Malaga Cathedral has only one tower. The north tower rises 84 meters, making it the second-tallest cathedral in Andalusia after the Giralda in Seville. The south tower is a stump, capped at roughly half height and never finished. A plaque at the base explains why: the funds raised to complete it were redirected to support the American colonies in their war of independence against Great Britain. Whether this is entirely true remains a matter of historical debate, but the nickname stuck. Locals call their cathedral La Manquita, the One-Armed Lady.

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Image: JakobHosp | CC0

Malaga Cathedral: Two Centuries of Construction

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Construction began in 1528, following plans drawn by the architect Diego de Siloe, within the footprint of the medieval Moorish walls that still surround the nearby Alcazaba and Castle of Gibralfaro. Building continued for 254 years, finally concluding in 1782. The interior follo...

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Image: Holger Uwe Schmitt | CC BY-SA 4.0

Malaga Cathedral: The Money That Built a Nation

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0. After the War of Spanish Succession, the Crown imposed a tax on ships calling at Malaga's port to finance the cathedral's completion. By 1776, when trade with the Americas began to liberalize, construction accelerated. Then the funds ran out. King Carlos III redirected the remain...

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Image: Holger Uwe Schmitt | CC BY-SA 4.0

Malaga Cathedral: Art in the Sanctuary

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0. The interior compensates for what the exterior lacks. A Gothic altarpiece in the Chapel of Santa Barbara dates from the earliest period of construction. The Chapel of San Francisco contains 16th-century tombs. The Chapel of the Incarnation holds a neoclassical altarpiece designed...

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Image: Diego Delso | CC BY-SA 4.0

Malaga Cathedral: Music in Stone

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Fernando, CC BY-SA 4.0. The cathedral's musical tradition runs as deep as its foundations. Notable maestros de capilla include Cristobal de Morales, one of the greatest Spanish Renaissance composers, who served here during his final years from 1551 to 1554. Esteban de Brito, the Portuguese-born composer...

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Image: Fernando | CC BY-SA 4.0