Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo
The Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo ( German Basilica of St. Martin of Mondoñedo ) is a church in the municipality of Foz in Galicia . In the 9th century it was the bishopric of the later diocese of Mondoñedo-Ferrol and is considered the oldest cathedral in Spain . The church, consecrated to Martin von Tours , bears the title of a minor basilica . The current Romanesque building dates from the 11th century and is listed as a historical asset .
history
The history of the bishopric began in the sixth century when Christians fled the British Isles and settled in Galicia in addition to Brittany . The first bishopric is now identified with Santa María de Bretoña in the parish of Pastoriza. At the time of the Viking raids and the Muslim conquest, in 866 the diocese of Dumio was relocated to Mendunieto, the place of the basilica from which the current name San Martín de Mondoñedo is supposed to follow. Under King Alfonso III. a monastery and the double bishopric (Dumiense de Dumio and Britoniense de Bretoña) were founded with its first bishop Sabarico.
In 1112, Queen Urraca ordered the transfer of the episcopal see to Vilamaior do Val de Brea or Vallibria, which eventually changed its name to Mondoñedo , in memory of the old episcopal see . After this transfer, the original monks were in San Martín Augustinian canons replaced, which remained until 1534, when Pope Clement VII. This priory the Cathedral of Mondoñedo added.
Since 1931 the church has been run as the Bien de Interés Cultural. In 2007 the church was opened by Pope Benedict XVI. raised to the rank of minor basilica .
Building
The three-aisled basilica with a transept has architectural elements from the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. The three semicircular apses show bands and blind arches in the Lombard style . A special feature of the dome is a rectangular tambour with rounded corners. The naves are separated by three pairs of columns.
The south wall and part of the north wall date from the 10th century, they are already based on a cloister of an older monastery. In the 11th century, the central part with the triumphal arch , the chapel wreath and the dome were built in Romanesque form . The capitals of this zone, as well as the carved plate, which sits like an altarpiece above the altar, show a masterful sculpture.
The central apse and the west facade, which is framed between the tower and the opposite buttress, date from the third construction phase in the 12th century . The portal has five archivolts , three rest on projections of the wall and two on two pairs of pillars. Two capitals of the columns are dated to the 6th century, and the blind rosette in the apex has also been reused. The ceilings in the nave are made as an open wooden structure.
In 2008, restoration work uncovered some badly dilapidated wall paintings, which were cataloged as the oldest Romanesque frescoes in Galicia from the 12th century.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Historia de la Diócesis de Mondoñedo-Ferrol (Spanish)
- ↑ Sede del Obispado de Britonia (Spanish)
- ↑ Basilica de San Martín de Mondoñedo on gcatholic.org (English)
Coordinates: 43 ° 33 ′ 42 " N , 7 ° 18 ′ 12" W.