Known locally as La Manquita, the one-armed lady, Malaga's Renaissance cathedral is famous for the tower it never had. Only the north tower was completed; the southern one was left as a stump, giving the building its lopsided silhouette and its affectionate nickname. The cathedral was begun in 1528 on the site of the city's former main mosque, after Malaga came under Christian rule, and construction continued for more than two centuries. Work was eventually halted in 1782 with the south tower still unfinished, and it has remained so ever since. According to local tradition, money set aside for the second tower was instead diverted to other causes, though the exact reasons are debated. Whatever the cause, the missing tower has become the building's defining feature. The interior is on a grand scale, with tall columns rising to vaulted ceilings, and is mainly Renaissance in style with later Baroque additions. The height and breadth of the nave make it one of the more imposing church interiors in Andalusia. Among its treasures are the carved wooden choir stalls, with figures of saints by the sculptor Pedro de Mena, regarded as a high point of Spanish religious carving, along with chapels, paintings and a pair of large historic organs. The completed north tower rises to around 84 metres, making the cathedral one of the tallest in the region, and it stands at the heart of the old town near the Roman theatre and the Alcazaba fortress. In recent years parts of the rooftop have been opened to visitors, allowing them to walk among the vaults and look out over the city and the harbour from a height few cathedrals offer. Centuries after work stopped, there are occasional proposals to finish the second tower, but for most residents the cathedral is inseparable from its incomplete state, and La Manquita remains a symbol of the city.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Calle Molina Lario, 9, Málaga, Spain