History of the Cathedral
The site on which Almudena Cathedral now stands was originally occupied by Madrid's first mosque, then by a church dedicated to one of Madrid's patron saints, Santa María de la Almudena.
Plans for a grand new church began in the 16th century after King Philip II made Madrid the capital of Spain. But construction was constantly postponed due to various political issues and opposition from the powerful archdiocese of Toledo.
Finally, in 1868, Madrid received permission from Toledo to construct a new church dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena. Construction began in 1883 based on a Neo-Gothic design. The first part to be completed was the crypt, which contains a 16th-century image of Madrid's patroness the Virgen de la Almudena.
A year later, in 1884, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Madrid, giving Madrid a bishop and raising the status of the new Almudena church to a cathedral. The building plans were updated to reflect the elevated status of the building.
Construction on the cathedral progressed slowly and came to a complete halt during the civil war of the 1930s. The process began again in 1944, when the new architect introduced a Neoclassical style that would match the Royal Palace next door.
Almudena Cathedral was completed in 1993 and consecrated in person by Pope John Paul II that same year. A statue of the pope in front of the cathedral commemorates the momentous occasion. The cathedral was given another publicity boost with the sumptuous wedding of Prince Felipe and Doña Letizia in May 2004, the first such royal event in nearly a century.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/madrid-almudena-cathedral
History of the Virgin-
I read about the history of the Virgin in Spanish so I'll give you a small run-down of how it came to be.
Basically in 712 Spain's capital was in Toledo (Madrid didn't become the capital until the 13th century). That year, the king was overthrown by the Muslim army and they established their strongholds in Toledo. However, Madrid was still a strategic place for any army. Fearing the coming invasion, the cristians of madrid decided to hide their images of the Virgen Mary and protect her from the infieles "non-believers"
Sermon given by priests to the Madrilenos after the fall of Toledo:
"Hijos míos: Los enemigos de nuestra fe han invadido todas las ciudades, villas y aldeas de España. ¡Es inútil la resistencia! ¡Dios así lo quiere! Es preciso que acatemos su santa voluntad, pidiendo de rodillas perdón por nuestras culpas. El que se encuentre con fuerzas para pelear, que pelee hasta morir en defensa de nuestra sacrosanta religión. Y aquel que sobreviva al duro combate, en el que sin duda seremos vencidos, que corra hacia las montañas donde se reúnen las huestes de los soldados de la Cruz, al mando de don Pelayo, para hostigar cuanto puedan a los invasores y trabajar por la libertad de la Patria. (Ver: Virgen de Covadonga)
Muza está en Toledo; conquistada esta ciudad, pronto el infiel caudillo se hallará delante de nuestros muros; antes de que esto suceda, antes de que Madrid caiga en sus manos, es preciso que pensemos en salvar los objetos que nos son más queridos. La Virgen Santísima, a quien tanto veneramos, que siempre ha sido nuestra abogada y protectora, que siempre ha oído clemente nuestras preces, no ha de caer en manos de nuestros enemigos, no hemos de permitir que su preciosa imagen sea profanada por los infieles.
Ocultémosla, mientras peleamos contra ellos, en el cubo de esta muralla contigua a este santo templo. Si vencemos, todos sabemos dónde la hallaremos para darle gracias por la victoria, y si, por desgracia, somos vencidos, líbrese, oculta en la muralla, del furor de los mahometanos".
So the Madrileno christians built a hub in order to hid the Virgen and there she stayed for three centuries. Her whereabouts were lost through the generations but carefully hidden away from the non-believers that occupied Madrid soon after the Virgen was hidden away.
In 1085, Don Alfonso VI "The Brave" reconquered Toledo and then returned to Madrid to restore the power to the Christians. He knew of the legend that the Virgen was hidden hundreds of years ago so he set out to find the secret hub. The original church had been converted into a Mosque so Don Alfonso searched and searched until it is said that the Virgen herself appeared surrounded by light and led the way to her hiding place somewhere in the original site of the church turned mosque on the 9th of November 1085.
The following day, the Christians of Madrid held a procession to the remains of the original church looking for her exact location. Soon they encountered an ancient wall below the sub-level of the mosque. And what would they find behind this wall, but the Virgen that was hidden centuries before. She was placed back to her original status as the Christians regained power in Spain. Over the next few centuries, the Virgen was moved from church to church throughout different cities but after the construction of the Almudena Cathedral where she resides today.
My Experience
The Virgen of the Almudena is a holiday only in Madrid. Therefore, I never learned anything about this holiday nor its legend in my studies or really throughout my time here in Madrid. As a matter of fact, most people I asked (even the Spaniards) didn't really know the exact history of the holiday. All they knew was that it was a day off in order to praise the Patron Saint of Madrid. This particular holiday fell in line with Spain's Constitution Day so it made for a very short work week.
Most of this windy, chilly day I stayed around the house cleaning. But in the early afternoon I decided to hit up some shops up near Opera/ Sol and then stroll through the Palace gardens and towards the Almudena Cathedral to see what all the fuss was about. Once I entered the gardens, there were buckets and buckets lining the street with vendors chanting at everyone to buy small bundles of flowers. "Flowers for the Virgen! Get your flowers for the Virgen!"
As I got closer to the Cathedral, I noticed that every other person had an offering of flowers. Some were the small bundles from the street vendors while other had enormous, beautiful bouquets. When I reached the corner I realized just how important La Virgen de Almudena was in Madrid.
It was quite the spectacular sight to see. I clicked some photos and walked around the Cathedral watching all the people give their offerings and say a little prayer at the base of the statue of the Virgen. I wanted to step inside the Cathedral to see if there were anymore decorations but a service had just gotten out and no one was allowed to enter at that time. So I made my way back around the side streets passing more and more people with their flowers. Yet another great example of how much importantance Spain puts on the Christian religion.
Websites:
http://www.corazones.org/maria/almudena.htm
http://www.madridpedia.com/node/1325/
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