Ávila Cathedral

Ávila Cathedral
Catedral del Salvador de Ávila
Ávila Cathedral.
Basic information
Location Ávila, Spain
Affiliation Catholic Church
Architectural description
Architectural type church
Architectural style Gothic, Romanesque
General contractor Siglo XI - Siglo XV
Detail of the north door of the Cathedral of Ávila.

The Cathedral of Ávila is a Catholic church in Ávila in the south of Old Castile, Spain. It is in the Romanesque and Gothic architectural traditions.

It was planned as a cathedral-fortress, its apse being one of the turrets of the city walls. It is surrounded by a number of houses or palaces, the most important being: the Palace of the Evening, the Palace of the Infant King, and the Palace of Valderrábanos, which were responsible for the defence of the Puerta de los Leales (The Gate of the Loyal Ones) also known as La Puerta del Peso de la Harina (The Flour Road Gate).

History

It is not known exactly when the construction of the Cathedral began. Two theories exist. One states that Alvar García started its construction in 1091 inside the remains of the Church of the Saviour, which was in ruins as a result of successive Muslim attacks, and that Alfonso VI of Castile raised the money necessary to build it. Other historians believe the Cathedral to be the work of the maestro Fruchel in the 12th century coinciding with the repopulation of Castille led by Raymond of Burgundy.

The first stages of the towers and aisles are from the 13th century and the second stage of the towers, the cloister, the vaults and the flying buttresses are the following century. The cathedral was complete by the 15th century, and in 1475 Juan Guas built the mechanical clock.

Characteristics

Apse of the Cathedral of Ávila

The Cathedral of Ávila is considered by its age (12th century), along with the Cathedral of Cuenca, as the first two Gothic cathedrals in Spain. It shows French influences and great resemblances to the Abbey Church of St Denis, the first European Gothic church.

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Coordinates: 40°39′21″N 4°41′50″W / 40.6558°N 4.6972°W / 40.6558; -4.6972

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