Santa Maria de Ciutadella Cathedral
The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Ciutadella of the Diocese of Menorca is the most important Gothic building on the Balearic island of Menorca . It is also an example of the Catalan Gothic.
history
Alfons III (1265–1291) from Catalonia-Aragón, the conqueror of the island, ordered, together with three other churches on the island, this construction on the site of the Arab mosque of Ciutadella .
The work began under his successor James II (king from 1291 to 1327) and was only completed in 1362 under Peter IV . The foundations of the minaret were used as the basis for the bell tower, to which, as before with the minaret, a stepless ramp leads. Marès stone ( limestone ) was used for the construction, the traditional building material on the island.
The Turkish invasion of 1558 badly damaged the church. The obelisk in Plaza del Borne is said to commemorate the events of 1558, when the people of Menorca fought against the invaders. The repairs only lasted until 1626, when a fire caused the apse to collapse. A more solid reconstruction followed.
In 1795, after the first return of Menorca to the Spanish by the British, the episcopate of Menorca , which had existed since the 5th century, was reoccupied and Santa Maria de Ciutadella was made a cathedral . Pope Pius XII awarded her the title of basilica in 1953 .
description
The single-aisle interior is 44 m long, 14 m wide and 22 m high, and is one of the largest on the island. It is closed off by a simple ribbed vault. On the outside, the classicist portal with the large rose window above it and the buttresses with the Gothic gargoyles are striking. The new portal hides the Gothic. To the right of the main entrance is a baptismal font with a Gothic lid. The rest of the building has no external buttress , which is a typical Gothic element, but internal wall reinforcements. The Portal de sa Llum, a simple Gothic arch with a New Testament scene in the tympanum and apart from small mythical creatures - unadorned walls has been preserved from the original building .
The Portal de sa Llum (called the Portal of Light because it faces south to the sunny side) is one of the oldest parts of the building and interrupts the row of four side chapels on the right. One of the three side chapels on the left preserves a Pietà . The “Capella de la Communió” with a representation of the “Immaculate Conception” added in the 19th century with the ground plan of a Greek cross is of some attraction. The “Capella de les Animes” (Chapel of Souls), located near the altar , stands out , one of the first masterful works of the Baroque on Menorca. The stone carvings show the variety of forms of the baroque. The columns are turned, spiral, palm-trunk-like with and indented ornaments .
In the apse-semi-decagonal sanctuary once stood under a tall Gothic canopy , who carried the seven arms of the island communities, the marble altar . Behind it, crowned by a representation of the "Mary with the Child", the choir stalls with the central bishop's seat filled the apse. These props fell victim to the modernization of the church (see picture of the apse).
organ
The organ was built in 1993 by the organ builder Blancafort Orgueners de Monserrat. The instrument has 37 registers on three manuals and a pedal . In contrast to many organs in Spain, the manuals are not divided.
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Individual evidence
Web links
Coordinates: 40 ° 0 ′ 6.3 " N , 3 ° 50 ′ 15.5" E