Lugo Cathedral

Lugo, Spain

Saint Mary's Cathedral in Lugo was erected in the early 12th century in a Romanesque style, with Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassicist elements.

A church existed in the site from 755. In 1129 Bishop Peter III commissioned a new edifice in the latest architectural style from Raimundo, a local architect and builder. This Romanesque structure was completed in 1273.

Later renovations and restorations added elements in other styles, such as the Renaissance retablo at the high altar. It was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and fragments of it are housed in the church.

Architecture

The cathedral has a Latin Cross structure, with a length of 85 m. It has a nave, covered by a barrel vault, and two aisles, with an ambulatory and five apse chapels. The triforium features triple ogival mullioned windows. The apse houses a calvary sculpture from an unknown date.

The façade is a Renaissance design by Julián Sánchez Bort inspired by a plan proposed by Ventura Rodríguez for the Cathedral of Pamplona. Its construction was finished in the late 19th century, with the completion of the two side towers.

The northern entrance's narthex is in Gothic style, dating to 1510-1530. Internally showing a starred vault, it is formed by three archivolts with a lintel showing Christ Pantocrator and with a pinjante (glove-shaped decorative pendant) that features a depiction of the Last Supper.

To the right of the entrance is the Gothic Torre Vella (bell tower), surmounted by a Renaissance top floor finished by Gaspar de Arce in 1580. The sacristy (1678) and the cloister (1714) are in the Baroque style, as is the central chapel of the triforium (1726). The chapel of St. Froilán is in Renaissance style, dating to the 17th century. Notable is the choir, built by Francisco de Moure (early 17th century).

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Address

Praza Santa María 1, Lugo, Spain
See all sites in Lugo

Details

Founded: 1129
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Domus do Mitreo (0,1 km)
San Pedro Church (0,3 km)
Provincial Museum of Lugo (0,2 km)
Roman Walls of Lugo (0,2 km)
Roman Bridge of Lugo (0,9 km)


Monastery of San Xulián de Samos (36,2 km)
Mondoñedo Cathedral (49,2 km)
Church of San Xoán (22,9 km)
Sobrado Abbey (37,9 km)
Monastery of San Vicente do Pino (54,1 km)
Monastery of Santa María de Oseira (61,4 km)
College of Nosa Señora da Antiga (54,7 km)
Monastery of San Salvador de Villanueva (55,5 km)
Monfero Abbey (53,5 km)

User Reviews

Mark Auchincloss (6 months ago)
Beautiful Romanesque Catedral dating back to 1129. With later mainly Baroque style additions. Museum worth visiting. It's 5€ to enter including visit of Bell Tower. During Mass you can sneak in for free. 8n front of main facade there's the entrance to the Roman walls of the city & it's impressive, elevated walkway.
Mindaugas T (2 years ago)
Amazing cathedral! Very very beautiful. Adoration of Holy Sacrament takes all day long (24 hours)! Audioguides in different languages. Museum and many interesting things you can find here. Discounts for pilgrims.
Rolland K (2 years ago)
It is a sight to behold and splendid in every way. It's certainly one of the best I've ever seen. The museum section is very well done and extremely informative. The only disappointment was not being able to get a clear view of the nave. Entrance is relatively cheap at €5 per adult. It's a must-see when one is in the area.
David Le Hunte (2 years ago)
An interesting visit with audio tour. The only real disappointment was that it was impossible to get to a location to get the full view of the magnificent altar that you see in the photos.
Juan Gimeno (2 years ago)
Very friendly and relaxing place to hang out with family... just amazing history and Architecture
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Seville Cathedral

Seville's cathedral, Santa Maria de la Sede, is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and is recognised as UNESCO World Heritage. After its completion in the early 16th century, Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years.

History

The basilica occupies the site of the great Aljama mosque, built in the late 12th century by the Almohads, the ruling Moorish dynasty, of which the only remaining parts are the Patio de Naranjas, the Puerta del Perdon (on Calle Alemanes, on the north side), and the Giralda (formerly the minaret, now the belltower).

Shortly after Seville's conquest by Ferdinand III, the mosque was converted into the city's cathedral. Its orientation was changed and its spaces partitioned and adorned to suit Christian worship practices. The internal space was gradually divided into chapels by constructing walls in the bays along the northern and southern walls. Almost the entire eastern half of the cathedral was occupied by the royal chapel that would hold the bodies of Ferdinand, his wife and Alfonso the Wise.

In 1401, city leaders decided to build a new cathedral to replace the grand mosque that served as the cathedral until then. Construction continued until 1506. The clergy of the parish offered half their stipends to pay for architects, artists, stained glass artisans, masons, carvers, craftsman and labourers and other expenses. Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the crossing lantern, or cimborrio, collapsed and work on the cathedral recommenced. The crossing again collapsed in 1888 due an earthquake, and work on the dome continued until at least 1903.

Architecture

The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain. The central nave rises to a height of 42 metres. In the main body of the cathedral, the most noticeable features are the great boxlike choir loft, which fills the central portion of the nave, and the vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life of Christ. This altarpiece was the lifetime work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart.

The Capilla Mayor (Great Chapel), dominated by a vast Gothic retablo (altarpiece) comprised of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ, as well as Santa Maria de la Sede, the cathedral's patron saint. The lifetime's work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart, this is the ultimate masterpiece of the cathedral - the largest and richest altarpiece in the world and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere.

The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Its height is 105 m. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule, and was built to resemble the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Morocco. It was converted into a bell tower for the cathedral after the Reconquista, although the topmost section dates from the Renaissance.

The tomb of Christopher Columbus is one of the main attractions of the cathedral for visitors, housing the remains of the great explorer who died in poverty in Valladolid. The tomb itself is more recent, from the 1892, with four bearers presenting the kingdoms of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarra.

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