Braga Cathedral
The Cathedral of Braga (Portuguese: Sé de Braga ) is one of the most important architectural monuments of the city of Braga in the north of Portugal . As the seat of the Archbishop of Braga, it is the oldest cathedral in Portugal and, due to its history and artistic importance, is one of the most important buildings in the country. It offers a rich mix of architectural and artistic styles.
history
According to tradition, the diocese of Braga dates back to the 3rd century, but the historical confirmation goes back to the year 400. It is one of the oldest dioceses on the Iberian Peninsula . It is considered the center of the Christianization of Gallaecia , as the area in the north-west of Spain and in the north of Portugal was called. When the power of Rome was dissolved by invading Germanic tribes, Braga became the capital of the Kingdom of the Suebi from 409 to 584 . Under the influence of Bishop Martin von Dumio , the Suebi converted to Catholicism around 550. Martin of Dumio came to Gallaecia at this time and first founded a monastery in Dumio near Braga, became Bishop of Dumio in 556 and finally Bishop of Braga in 562 . However, the Suebian Empire became dependent on Visigoths and was incorporated into the Visigothic Empire in 585. In the following years the importance of Braga decreased. After the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors 711-719, Braga lost its bishopric in 716. As a result of the Reconquista , the reconquest by the Christians, the diocese of Braga was re-established around 1070. Bishop Dom Pedro, who was bishop of the diocese from 1071 to 1091 and the first archbishop, had a cathedral built, which was consecrated in 1089 by Bernard of Toledo. At that time, however, only the eastern chapels were finished. The current cathedral was built on the site of an older religious building, possibly an earlier cathedral. Despite the restoration of the diocese of Braga, the city did not succeed in regaining its former importance. Next to Toledo , which was declared a new metropolis by Urban II and was the residence of the Kingdom of Castile from 1087 and remained the capital of Spain until 1561, there was no room for Braga as a metropolis. Since Bishop Dom Pedro also bought the pallium from the antipope Clement III in 1091 . The former capital, Braga, continued to lose importance. Bishop Dom Pedro was deposed and banished to the monastery.
Since 1093, the county of Portugal was ruled by Count Henry of Burgundy, who, together with Bishop Geraldo de Moissac, was able to convince the Pope to raise Braga back to an archbishopric in 1107. Construction on the cathedral resumed and continued into the mid-13th century. Built in the 12th century building was constructed in the style of Burgundian Romanesque of the Abbey of Cluny and influenced the construction of many churches and monasteries in Portugal. In the centuries that followed, the cathedral was changed frequently. Today it therefore shows a mixture of different architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic , Baroque and Manueline .
In 1905, Pope Pius X gave the cathedral the title of a minor basilica .
Architecture and art
Outside
Braga Cathedral consists of three long aisles with a wooden roof, a transept and five chapels in the apse , none of which appear in the original Romanesque style. Only a small chapel outside the cathedral was able to retain its Romanesque appearance and appears as a remnant of the building from the 11th century.
The exterior of the cathedral, with the two towers on the front, is very characteristic of the great Romanesque cathedrals in Portugal, although significant changes have been made over the centuries. With the exception of a few archivolts and capitals of the main portal, the originally Romanesque west facade of the cathedral was completely changed and decorated with carved reliefs. Between 1486 and 1501 a gallery with three arches in the late Gothic style was built in front of the main portal. This has rib vaults and is decorated with statues and gargoyles. At the beginning of the 16th century, Archbishop Dom Diogo de Sousa (1505–1532) changed the Romanesque main portal and sacrificed the internal archivolt. An iron grille that he installed to protect the chancel was moved to the gallery in the 18th century. He also had the large chapel in the apse rebuilt in 1509. The large, stone-carved coat of arms of Archbishop Dom Rodrigo de Moura Teles (1704–1728) was placed on the front, and the oratory and the covering of the towers were built in the early 18th century. The upper part of the facade and the towers were completely modernized in the 18th century. The southern facade of the cathedral has a Romanesque portal.
inner space
The interior of the cathedral, with the nave and the two side aisles , the transept and the five chapels, appears exceptionally severe. During the Baroque period , large windows were installed, the altars were changed and the walls were decorated with stucco and paintings. As a result, the cathedral gradually developed into a festival hall and an appeal to the senses. None of the chapels is still Romanesque. The main chapel is Manueline , while the other chapels are decorated in the Baroque style.
However, after a reform in the 20th century, the nave now has a Romanesque appearance again, as most of the changes of the past centuries have been reversed and the medieval appearance of the church has been restored. Except for the choir , however, all the chapels have retained the changes made to the architecture and altarpieces in the 18th century. As archaeological remains from the early Christian and late medieval church show, the original choir was much smaller.
Organs
The cathedral has two historic organs . On the epistle side there is an instrument by the organ builder Frei Simón Fontanes from the year 1739. The Gospel organ from the year 1737 comes from the same organ builder. The instrument has two manual works. The pedal is attached.
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literature
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Alfons Becker : Pope Urban II (1088-1099).
- Volume 1: Origin and ecclesiastical career, The Pope and Latin Christianity (= writings of MGH. Vol. 19 / I). Stuttgart 1964.
- Volume 2: The Pope, Greek Christianity and the Crusade (= writings of the MGH. Vol. 19 / II). Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-7772-8802-0 .
- Robert Plötz (Ed.): Jakobuskult in the Rhineland. 2004, ISBN 3-8233-6038-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The cathedral has been registered and protected as a Monumento Nacional since 1910 . Sé de Braga, compreendendo os túmulos, designadamente os do Conde D. Henrique e D. Teresa, do Infante D. Afonso e do arcebispo D. Gonçalo Pereira . Direção-Geral do Património Cultural, accessed December 30, 2017 (Portuguese).
- ↑ Sé Catedral de Santa Maria on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Information on the organ
- ↑ More information about the organ
Coordinates: 41 ° 32 ′ 59.5 " N , 8 ° 25 ′ 37.2" W.