2 Spain

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

  1. Horseshoe arch

  2. Stone tracery

  3. Rich & intricate surface decoration

  4. Excessive ornamentation

  5. Cimborio or lantern

  6. Retablo or Reredos

Examples of Gothic Architecture in Spain

  • SALAMANCA NEW CATHEDRAL (Catedral Nueva) (1513)

    • is a magnificent late Gothic church

    • stellar vaulting interior

    • has stone reliefs of Astronaut and faun with ice cream; has modern elements because the church was renovated in 1992

  • BARCELONA CATHEDRAL’s (1339)

    • The neo-Gothic facade was done in 1913

    • Dedicated to Santa Eulàlia, who is the co-patron saint of Barcelona; her body is entombed inside the cathedral’s crypt

    • It is a hall church, vaulted over five aisles, has a chevet of nine radiating chapels.

  • AVILA CATHEDRAL

    • is a fortress-like cathedral adjoining the famous medieval walls of Avila

  • BURGOS CATHEDRAL (1221)

    • most poetic of all the Spanish Cathedrals

    • has open-work spires

    • UNESCO World Heritage, 1984

  • SEVILLE CATHEDRAL (1410)

    • was a grand mosque in 1172

    • became Christianized in 1248

    • largest Mediaeval Cathedral in Europe, with the exception of St.

      Peter's, Rome

    • houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus

    • has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain

    • UNESCO World Heritage, 2010

    • Seville Cathedral’s Retablo Mayor (High Altar):

      • world’s largest altarpiece

      • Pierre Dancart spent 44 years carving from wood

  • TOLEDO CATHEDRAL (1227)

    • is among the greatest Gothic structure in Europe

    • Toledo Cathedral’s spectacular Capilla Mayor (High Altar)

  • LA LONJA DE LA SEDA, Valencia (Silk Exchange)

    • founded in 1469 as a market for oil

    • World Heritage site by UNESCO (1996)