Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Sigüenza Cathedral
City site
The story
In the autumn of 1936 Nationalist columns advancing from Aragon and Soria besieged Sigüenza. The last Republican militiamen, with civilians, took refuge in the cathedral and held out for several days under artillery and air bombardment before surrendering in mid-October. The cathedral suffered heavy damage: roofs and the crossing collapsed, sculpture was shattered and the 18th-century organ destroyed. It was restored in the 1940s, when a new lantern tower was added over the crossing.
What you can see today
The fortress-like Romanesque–Gothic cathedral, restored; post-war repairs and the new lantern are visible.
Plan your visit
Cathedral open daily; the €10 ticket covers the cathedral and diocesan museum (self-guided). Sigüenza is 1 h 45 min from Madrid by train.
- Open
- Mon–Fri 10:30–14:00 & 16:00–19:30; Sat–Sun 10:30–19:30 (last entry 13:30/18:30); may change for services
- Price
- €10 adults (cathedral + diocesan museum); under-12s free
Checked September 2026 from official sources: catedralsiguenza.es. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
Nearby sites
- Brihuega & Palacio de Ibarra · 39 km
- Frente del Agua, Paredes de Buitrago · 77 km
- Bustarviejo penal labour camp · 92 km
- Paracuellos de Jarama cemetery · 98 km
- Posición Jaca bunker, El Capricho park · 105 km
- Cementerio Civil & Almudena execution wall · 110 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The battlefields, trenches, ruined villages, shelters, museums and memorials of the Spanish Civil War across the whole of Spain, told fairly from both sides.
Open the guide