Almería Cathedral is one of the most unusual-looking cathedrals in Spain: from the outside it resembles a fortress more than a church, its walls thick and its towers built for defence rather than decoration. This is not an accident. The cathedral was constructed in the sixteenth century during a period of intense threat from North African pirates, and Bishop Villalán insisted that the building double as a refuge for the population during raids. Towers that could mount cannon, walls that could withstand bombardment, and a deliberately forbidding exterior — the result is a building unlike any other in Andalusia.
The interior, by contrast, is richly decorated. The choir stalls are carved walnut of the highest quality, the chapels contain notable altarpieces, and the overall atmosphere is of a well-maintained and genuinely used place of worship. The mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements reflects the long construction history. The sacristy and the Museo Catedralicio hold silver, vestments, and religious art accumulated over five centuries.