Lugo Cathedral

Saint Mary's Cathedral
West façade.
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Location
Location	Lugo, Galicia, Spain
Shown within Spain
Geographic coordinates	43°00′33″N 7°33′30″W / 43.0092°N 7.5583°W / 43.0092; -7.5583
Architecture
Architect(s)	Raimundo
Type	Church
Style	Romanesque (Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical)
Groundbreaking	1129
Completed	1273
Spire(s)	2
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv, vi
Designated	1993 (17th session)
Parent listing	Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain
Reference no.	669bis-007
Region	Europe and North America
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Official name: Catedral de Santa María
Type	Real property
Criteria	Monument
Designated	3 June 1931
Reference no.	RI-51-0000708

Saint Mary's Cathedral (Galician: Catedral de Santa María), better known as Lugo Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church and basilica in Lugo, Galicia, north-western Spain. The cathedral was erected in the early 12th century in a Romanesque style, with Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.

History

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.

The cathedral received from the Pope the privilege to permanently expose the Holy Sacrament.

Structure

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 [es] 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).

References

• Cegarra, Basilio (1992). Guia da arte de Galicia. Vigo.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

This page was last edited on 22 March 2024, at 21:43