Ávila Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ávila Cathedral |
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| Cathedral of the Saviour | |
| Catedral del Salvador | |
West façade in 2023.
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| 40°39′21″N 4°41′50″W / 40.6558°N 4.6972°W | |
| Location | Ávila |
| Country | Spain |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Dedication | Salvator Mundi |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Giral Fruchel |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1170 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 85 m (278 ft 10 in) |
| Width | 42.5 m (139 ft 5 in) |
| Nave height | 28 m (91 ft 10 in) |
| Administration | |
| Metropolis | Valladolid |
| Diocese | Ávila |
The Cathedral of the Saviour (Spanish: Catedral de Cristo Salvador) is a large Catholic church in Ávila, a city in central Spain. It was built using two old styles of building: Romanesque and Gothic.
This cathedral was designed to be both a church and a fortress. Its back part, called the apse, is actually one of the towers of the city walls! Several old houses and palaces surround it. These include the Palace of the Veladas and the Palace of Valderrábanos. These buildings helped protect the city gate nearby, known as the Puerta de los Leales ("The Gate of the Loyal Ones").
History of Ávila Cathedral
It's not totally clear when the cathedral's construction began. There are two main ideas.
- One idea is that Alvar García started building it in 1091. This was on the remains of an older church that had been destroyed by attacks. Alfonso VII of Castile then helped raise money to finish it.
- Another idea is that a master builder named Fruchel started the cathedral in the 1100s. This was around the time when people were moving back to the Castile region, led by Raymond of Burgundy.
What Makes It Special
The Ávila Cathedral is very old, built in the 1100s. It is thought to be one of the first two Gothic cathedrals in Spain, along with the Cathedral of Cuenca. This means it was built before other famous Spanish Gothic cathedrals like the Cathedral of Burgos (started in 1222) and the Cathedral of León (started around 1255).
The cathedral shows ideas from France. It looks a lot like the Abbey Church of St Denis, which was the first Gothic church in Europe. Girald Fruchel started building it in the 1100s. Work continued and changed until the 1600s. This means it has parts built in the Gothic style, then Classicism (like the Saint Secundus chapel), and finally Baroque architecture (like the Velada Chapel).
The first parts of the towers and the side sections (aisles) were built in the 1200s. In the 1300s, more work was done on the towers (one was never finished), the cloister (a covered walkway), and the arched ceilings. By the 1400s, most of the cathedral was complete. In 1475, Juan Guas built a mechanical clock for it. He also moved the main entrance from the west side to the north side.
The bell tower used to have a home for the bell-ringer's family. They lived there until the 1950s! A pulley system helped them lift food and lower trash.
Inside the Cathedral
The cathedral has a large central area called the nave. On each side are two narrower sections called aisles. There's also a wide transept, which is the part that crosses the main body of the church. The central nave is much taller than the aisles. It has big windows that let in lots of light. Thin columns and pointed arches separate these areas, making the inside feel open and bright. Most of the ceilings have simple four-part arches.
The baptismal font is made of a smooth stone called alabaster. It was created between 1514 and 1516 by an artist named Vasco de la Zarza.
The thick wall at the back of the church, called the ambulatory, is built right into the city's strong, fortified wall. A screen, called a retrochoir, separates the main nave from the transept, the choir (where singers sit), and the apse.
The plateresque retrochoir is beautifully decorated with detailed carvings. These carvings were made by Lucas Giraldo and Juan Rodríguez. They show five scenes from the childhood of Jesus very clearly. In the scene of the Epiphany, one of the wise men, Balthasar, is shown with dark skin.
Behind the retrochoir are the wooden choir stalls. These seats have small ledges called misericords, which were used for support during long services. They were made in the early 1500s by a Flemish artist named Cornielles de Holanda. Lucas Giraldo, Juan Rodríguez, and Isidro Villoldo also helped with this work.
The transept holds two alabaster altars. One is for Saint Secundus, who is the patron saint of Ávila. The other is for Saint Catherine. Both were made by Vasco de la Zarza in the early 1500s. Isidro Villoldo finished the Saint Secundus altar. Lucas Giraldo and Juan Rodríguez finished the Saint Catherine altar.
The huge altarpiece at the main altar was started by Pedro Berruguete around the late 1400s and early 1500s. He painted eight smaller panels at the bottom, called predellas. These show detailed pictures of the Evangelists and important church teachers. He also painted two larger scenes: "The Prayer in the Garden" and "The Flagellation." These paintings used gold backgrounds and somewhat stiff designs, which was a popular style in Spain at the time. After Berruguete passed away, his helper, Bartolomé de Santa Cruz, continued the work. He painted "The Crucifixion," "The Resurrection," and "The Epiphany." The rest of the scenes were painted by Juan de Borgoña.
The ambulatory has a gallery above it called a triforium. It also has nine small side chapels. There are five large, richly decorated panels with carvings, believed to be by Lucas Giraldo and Vasco de la Zarza. The middle panel is a detailed alabaster piece by Vasco de la Zarza. It holds the tomb of Alonso de Madrigal, also known as "El Tostado," who was a bishop of Ávila.
The cathedral museum is located in the sacristies (rooms used by priests). It has many artworks. These include a painting of Don Garci Báñez de Muxica by El Greco. It also has the chalice (cup) and paten (plate) of Saint Secundus. But the most famous item is a very large processional monstrance (1571). This is a fancy container, made by the goldsmith Juan de Arphe y Villafañe, used to display the Eucharist. It has six parts and its main theme is the "Sacrifice of Isaac."
In 2014, former Spanish prime minister Adolfo Suárez and his wife were buried inside the cathedral.
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de Ávila para niños
