Ciudad Rodrigo Cathedral, Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain

Construction of the Ciudad Rodrigo Cathedral began in the 12th century and did not finish until the 14th century. The architecture of the cathedral is uniform, despite later reforms and additions that can be seen in some of the chapels, such as the San Blas chapel.

The Portico del Perdón alone contains more than 400 Romanesque and Gothic sculptures of great beauty. Although it began in the 12th century, the work continued to the 15th, meaning that its style shows a clear transition from Romanesque to Gothic, as well as the Neoclassic tower.

One of the principal attractions is the impressive Gothic vault. The choir should not be forgotten either, strangely it has no religious motifs instead is decorated with fauna and flora images. The cloister is wonderful and is where the contrast between the two styles of architecture is best noted.

Another jewel, the impressive Portico del Perdon is compared by some to the Catedral de Santiago de Competela. During the War of Independence this part of the building was fired at by Napoleonic troops and has the impacts of cannon fire on it.

References:

Junta de Castilla y León

User Reviews

kytuuup (2 years ago)
If you like to reminesce and get to know more about Spain historically this is one of those you should visit and take 2 days in the city to appreciate the local restaurants

Mª Evangelina Rodríguez (2 years ago)
Preciosa tanto desde el exterior como desde el interior. Merece la pena entrar y dedicarle un ratito a mirar los detalles del claustro. La visita al museo también tiene interés. Es pequeño, está muy bien presentado para admirar las imágenes preciosas, casi todas de autores anónimos, los cuadros, ornamentos y hasta varios pares de zapatos y guantes de los obispos que dan un toque del día a día en la vida de los antiguos obispos. Recomiendo la visita.

Lou Acero (3 years ago)
Worth taking the time to see.

Javier Jiménez (3 years ago)
Ok

Mark Auchincloss (3 years ago)
Beautiful 12th/14th romanesque/gothic style Cathedral. Roman cloisters. Amazing 13th Pardon Porch similar to The Glory Porch in Santiago Cathedral.The hand carved choral chairs are pretty too. See if you can spot where the apostle Santiago is in the ceiling!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Ana Paula Hirama

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The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is a Baroque monument built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague, which struck Moravia between 1713 and 1715. The column was also understood to be an expression of local patriotism, since all artists and master craftsmen working on this monument were Olomouc citizens, and almost all depicted saints were connected with the city of Olomouc in some way. The column is the biggest Baroque sculptural group in the Czech Republic. In 2000 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

The column is dominated by gilded copper sculptures of the Holy Trinity accompanied by the Archangel Gabriel on the top and the Assumption of the Virgin beneath it.

The base of the column, in three levels, is surrounded by 18 more stone sculptures of saints and 14 reliefs in elaborate cartouches. At the uppermost stage are saints connected with Jesus’ earth life – his mother’s parents St. Anne and St. Joachim, his foster-father St. Joseph, and St. John the Baptist, who was preparing his coming – who are accompanied by St. Lawrence and St. Jerome, saints to whom the chapel in the Olomouc town hall was dedicated. Three reliefs represent the Three theological virtues Faith, Hope, and Love.

Below them, the second stage is dedicated to Moravian saints St. Cyril and St. Methodius, who came to Great Moravia to spread Christianity in 863, St. Blaise, in whose name one of the main Olomouc churches is consecrated, and patrons of neighbouring Bohemia St. Adalbert of Prague and St. John of Nepomuk, whose following was very strong there as well.

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The column also houses a small chapel inside with reliefs depicting Cain's offering from his crop, Abel's offering of firstlings of his flock, Noah's first burnt offering after the Flood, Abraham's offering of Isaac and of a lamb, and Jesus' death. The cities of Jerusalem and Olomouc can be seen in the background of the last mentioned relief.

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