La Seu d'Urgell Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids La Seu d'Urgell Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary
Catalan: Catedral de Santa Maria Spanish: Catedral de Santa María
West façade
42°21′28″N 1°27′42″E / 42.35778°N 1.46167°E / 42.35778; 1.46167
Location	La Seu d'Urgell
Country	Spain
Denomination	Catholic
History
Status	Cathedral
Dedication	Mary, mother of Jesus
Dedicated	1040
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ramon Llambard
Style	Romanesque
Years built	1116–1182
Administration
Metropolis	Tarragona
Diocese	Urgell

The Cathedral of Saint Mary is a very old and important Roman Catholic cathedral located in the city of La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. It is also known as La Seu d'Urgell Cathedral. This cathedral is the main church for the Bishops of Urgell. These bishops have a special role: they are one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra, sharing this title with the President of France! The cathedral is the center of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell, which even includes the country of Andorra.

This cathedral is special because of its unique design. It has features that look like Italian buildings, even though it's a great example of Romanesque architecture from Catalonia.

History of the Cathedral
Gallery
See also

History of the Cathedral

Interior of the cathedral

Building the Cathedral

The building of this cathedral started in 1116. It was designed by a skilled builder named Ramon Llambard. This makes it one of the oldest cathedrals in the region of Catalonia. The cathedral is so important that it gave the city its name! The city was originally called Urgell, but now it's called "See of Urgell" (La Seu d'Urgell). This name comes from Latin words meaning "the main church for the bishop of Urgell."

Dedication and Special Statue

The cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. She is considered the patroness, or special protector, of the city. Inside, you can find a statue from the 13th century. It is known as the Mother of God of Urgell (Mare de Déu d'Urgell). It is also sometimes called the Virgin of Andorra.

Restoring the Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saint Mary has been carefully restored several times in the 20th century.

The first big restoration project began in 1918. It was led by Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
Later, between 1955 and 1974, the church was restored again.
During these later works, any parts of the cathedral that were not finished were covered with stone.
Also, some parts that had been added later were removed. This helped the outside of the cathedral look more like it did originally.
Part of the front of the building, called the façade, was also fixed up.
The inside of the cathedral was also changed. In the 18th century, it had been covered with plaster, which made it look different. This plaster was removed to bring back its original look.

Music at the Cathedral

A famous composer from the 16th century, Joan Brudieu, worked at the cathedral. He was the maestro di capilla, which means he was in charge of the music, from 1548 to 1591.