Ibiza Cathedral facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of Our Lady of the Snows
Cathedral of Eivissa
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Co-cathedral
Location
Location	Ibiza Town, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain
Architecture
Architect(s)	Vincente Traver Tomás
Architectural style	Catalan Gothic, Baroque
Groundbreaking	13th century
Completed	15th century

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Snows (Catalan: Catedral de la Verge de les Neus, Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves) is a very important church in the City of Ibiza, also known as Eivissa. It's the main cathedral for the island.

History of the Cathedral

Long ago, in 1234, some leaders named Guillermo de Montgrí, Peter of Portugal, and Nuno Sanç made a promise. They agreed that if they took over the island of Ibiza, one of the first things they would do is build a church dedicated to Saint Mary. They kept their promise! After they took the City of Eivissa on August 8, 1235, they started building this church.

The church you see today isn't exactly how it looked when it was first built. It has been changed and added to many times over the years. For example, a bell tower and five small chapels were added to the east side. This strong building was mostly built in the 16th century, in a style called Catalan Gothic.

By 1435, the church had five chapels. These chapels were dedicated to different saints like Saint James, Saint Michael, Saint Tecla, Saint Anthony, Saint John Baptist, Saint John Evangelist, Saint Peter, and Saint Paul. A new main part of the church, called a nave, was built in the late 1400s. The Fonda chapel was finished in 1538.

In the 1700s, the church needed a lot of repairs because it was getting old and damaged. Jaume Espinosa and Pere Ferro, who were the "Town Builders," led these repairs. The work happened between 1715 and 1728. Then, in 1782, Pope Pius VI made the church the official cathedral of Ibiza. Even though it became a cathedral, it still works closely with the Archdiocese of Tarragona in Catalonia. This is because the original Christian leaders who conquered the island were from Catalonia.

Art and Architecture

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Snows is a mix of different building styles, mainly Gothic and Baroque. You can see the strong, tall Gothic style from the 16th century, and also the more decorative Baroque style from the 18th century.

Inside the cathedral, you can find many beautiful works of art. Some of the most special pieces include:

• A Gothic monstrance, which is a special container for religious items. This one is made of gold-colored silver and was created by Francesc Martí in 1399.
• Two Gothic paintings from the 14th century by Francesc Cornes. These paintings show Saint Tecla and Saint Anthony.
• Two more paintings from the 15th century by a master artist named Valentí Montoliu. These artworks show Saint James and Saint Matthew.

Images for kids

• 

  Ibiza Old Town with the Cathedral

See also

In Spanish: Catedral de Ibiza para niños