English and the World · Spain · 5 · Granada · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
The tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, Isabella’s crown and Ferdinand’s sword, a queen who would not leave her husband’s coffin, and a white Renaissance cathedral built where the great mosque once stood. Choose your level.
The Royal Chapel, Granada
In the centre of Granada, next to the cathedral, there is a small church: the Royal Chapel. Inside are the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen who took Granada in 1492.
Their tomb is made of white marble. Ferdinand’s statue and Isabella’s statue lie side by side, with their eyes closed. Next to them is the tomb of their daughter, Juana, and her husband, Philip.
Below, in a small, dark room called the crypt, you can see the real coffins. They are made of lead. One coffin is very small: it is the coffin of Isabella’s grandson, Miguel, who died when he was two.
The museum and the cathedral
In the chapel’s museum you can see the queen’s crown and sceptre, and the king’s sword. There are also Isabella’s paintings: she loved art, and many of her pictures came from Flanders.
Next door is the cathedral. It is very big and very white inside. Building started in 1523 on the place of the old main mosque, and the work went on for more than a hundred years! Its tower is not finished: the plan had two tall towers.
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains personal and possessive pronouns, and much more, in In Her Place (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 8).
Language: possessives
| What | How | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One person’s thing | name + ’s | Isabella’s crown, Ferdinand’s sword |
| A plural that ends in -s | noun + ’ | the kings’ tombs (more than one king) |
| Possessive adjectives | my, your, his, her, its, our, their | her husband, their daughter |
| For places and things | the … of … or ’s | the tomb of Juana, the chapel’s museum |
⚠️ its (possessive, no apostrophe) is different from it’s (= it is): The cathedral is famous for its white interior. It’s very big.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. Who is buried in the Royal Chapel?
2. What are the real coffins made of?
3. What can you see in the museum?
4. Why is the cathedral’s tower unfinished?
Write the possessive form (with ’s or ’).
5. This is (Isabella) crown.
6. That is (Ferdinand) sword.
7. The (queen) paintings came from Flanders.
8. The (chapel) museum is small but rich.
Write his, her, its or their.
9. Ferdinand and Isabella lie with eyes closed.
10. Juana is buried next to husband, Philip.
11. Miguel died when grandmother was still queen.
12. The cathedral is famous for white interior.
Go there!
Where: the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral are next to each other, in the centre, near the Gran Vía. Visit the chapel first (go down to the crypt!), then the cathedral. Opposite the chapel is the Madraza, the old Arab university, and behind it the Alcaicería, a little street of shops that was once the silk market.
Your task: write six sentences about your family’s things: My mother’s …, my brother’s …, their …, its …
It tells the story of Isabella’s last wishes and the splendour her heirs chose instead, of Juana “the Mad” and Philip’s coffin, of Siloé’s Renaissance cathedral and the imperial pantheon that never was, and of the Madraza and the silk market around them, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells the story of Isabella’s last wishes and the splendour her heirs chose instead, of Juana “the Mad” and Philip’s coffin, of Siloé’s Renaissance cathedral and the imperial pantheon that never was, and of the Madraza and the silk market around them, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.