Cartagena Cathedral facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cartagena Cathedral Catedral de Cartagena
Ruins of the cathedral of Cartagena
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
Location
Location	Cartagena, Spain
Architecture
Architectural type	church
General contractor	Siglo XIII - Siglo XIX

Cathedral ruins

The Cathedral of Cartagena in Spain, also known as the Cathedral of Santa María la Vieja, was an important church in the city of Cartagena. It sits on the hill of La Concepción in the old part of town. Sadly, this historic building has been in ruins since 1939. It was badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War when it was bombed by forces from the Nationalist side.

History of the Cathedral

Early Beginnings

Cartagena had a main church even before the Muslim conquest of Spain in the 8th century. However, no signs of this very old church have been found yet.

In 1243, Alfonso X of Castile, a king, started a campaign to take back the Kingdom of Murcia. He asked Pope Innocent IV to bring back the Diocese of Cartagena. A diocese is an area managed by a bishop. In 1250, the Pope agreed. He issued a special order called a "bull" to restore the diocese. The first bishop of this new period was a friar named Pedro Gallego. He was also King Alfonso's confessor.

It is not fully clear if there was a cathedral in Cartagena at that time. Old documents from the Middle Ages and Renaissance describe the church as "Iglesia Mayor," meaning "Main Church." It was only called "Old Cathedral" starting in the 1700s.

Moving the Diocese

García Martínez, who was the second bishop of the diocese, made an important decision. With the approval of King Sancho IV, he decided to move the main church to Murcia. Even though the church moved, it kept the name Diocese of Cartagena. Because of this, the church in Cartagena lost its status as a cathedral. It became a regular parish church instead.

Over many centuries, people kept asking the Vatican to bring the bishopric back to Cartagena. A new church, Santa María de Gracia, was built in the 1700s. It was designed to be large like a cathedral. The goal was for it to become the new seat of the diocese.

Later Changes and Destruction

In the late 1800s, the foundations of the medieval church collapsed. The church was then repaired by an architect named Victor Beltrí. He rebuilt it in a Romanesque style, adding some modern touches.

During the Spanish Civil War, the church was attacked on July 25, 1936. Its contents were damaged. In 1939, it was bombed again. Since then, the church has been left in ruins.

Roman Theatre Discovery

In 1988, something exciting was found near the old cathedral. Workers discovered a Roman theatre during construction. It turned out that the old cathedral had been built right on top of the upper part of this ancient theatre. The builders of the cathedral had even used some materials from the theatre to construct the church.

See also

In Spanish: Catedral de Cartagena para niños