GRANATA, ARCHDIOCESE of - The Immaculate Conception, Sculpture by Alonso Cano (1656) - Sacristy of the Cathedral.
Its foundation in the 1st century by St. Cecilio is legendary, but at the Council of Iliberis (c. 300) its bishop is found to have been present. The diocese having been suppressed in the 8th century with the Mohammedan invasion, it was restored in 1492 with the conquest of the city by the sovereigns Ferdinando and Elisabetta and, by virtue of a bull of Innocenzo VIII, was erected into a metropolitan see. In 1523 construction of the Cathedral was begun on a Gothic plan, later modified with Baroque and Renaissance elements and enriched by magnificent paintings by Alonso Cano (also the author of the graceful façade and of several statues), Giovanni di Siviglia, and other masters. Beside the Cathedral are two famous funerary chapels: one contains the artistic royal tomb of the aforementioned Ferdinando and Elisabetta; in the other lies the valiant F. Pérez del Pulgar, who during the siege of the city entered it alone and nailed to the principal mosque a parchment bearing the words « Ave Maria », also setting fire to the nearby Alcaceria. In the sacristy are relics of great value, and in the archives precious manuscripts and a rich collection of choir books. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Cecilio and to the Madonna delle Angustie, and has for many centuries enjoyed the title of “apostolic,” while its Chapter bears that of “excellence.” - Vedi tav. LXXV.