Oviedo, Spain
842 AD
Mérida, Spain
13th century
Lugo, Spain
3rd century AD
Mérida, Spain
2nd century AD
Ávila, Spain
1130-1160
Ávila, Spain
1482-1493
Mérida, Spain
c. 20 BCE
Lena, Spain
852 AD
Ávila, Spain
16th century
Ávila, Spain
1562
Antequera, Spain
3000 BCE
Ávila, Spain
1210
Las Médulas, Spain
0-100 AD
Ávila, Spain
1478
Ávila, Spain
12th century
Antequera, Spain
1800 BCE
Santillana del Mar, Spain
36,000 BCE
Ávila, Spain
12th century
Atapuerca, Spain
800000 BCE
Mérida, Spain
1st century AD
The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.
Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.
The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.