The Chapel
The dome represents the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. The altarpiece, designed by Juan de Herrera in marble, is 30 meters in height.
The statues of Emperor Carlos I and his family are a series of larger than life-like sculptures, and are made of gilt bronze inlaid with precious stones.
On both sides of the altar oratories host the cenotaphs of Carlos I and his son Philip II.
On the left, facing the altar, is the emperor with his wife Isabel of Portugal, Princess Mary and Princesses Leonor and Mary (sister of Carlos I).
On the right, the king is accompanied by his fourth wife, Anne of Austria, mother of Philip III; his former wife Elizabeth of Valois; and the first of four, Maria Manuela of Portugal, the mother of Prince Carlos, who appears behind him. The figures were made in Milan and assembled in the basilica in 1587.
