Faro Cathedral
The Cathedral of Faro ( Portuguese Sé Catedral de Faro ) in the southern Portuguese port city of Faro is the seat of Pope Gregory XIII in 1577 . founded Roman Catholic diocese of Faro (also Diocese do Algarve ).
location
The cathedral stands on the highest point of the old town and fortress hill of the city of Faro near the harbor at a height of approx. 80 m .
history
Although the history of the diocese, which has been located in Silves since 1189, goes back to the 4th century (Ossónoba) , after the reconquest ( reconquista ) of the areas occupied by the Moors in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula by King Alfonso III. Around the middle of the 13th century, a re-establishment of the diocese with seat in Faro took place in 1577.
At the place of an - archaeologically not proven - early Christian church and an adjoining mosque , a new church building was built on the fortress hill of Faro under the rule of Dinis I (r. 1279-1325), of which the tower is still preserved. In 1577, Bishop Jerónimo Osório von Silves managed to move the bishopric back to Faro. 19 years later, the city was besieged and set on fire by the soldiers of the English general Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , and the cathedral was also affected. This was largely rebuilt in the following years with the help of Spanish funds, as the Spanish rulers Philip II. Was since 1580 in personal union also king of Portugal . Further damage was probably caused by the great earthquake in Lisbon (1755).
architecture
The basement of the unplastered tower of the cathedral is opened by three entrances accessible via a staircase. The tower itself has a three-part bell gable and a Gothic portal with a pointed apex , the archivolts decor in the form of a diamond rod is reminiscent of Romanesque forerunners. The approximately 35 m long three-aisled nave ends in three flat-closing apses ; it has several side chapels . The only about 12 m high central nave and the slightly lower side aisles have only wooden vaults - probably because of the earthquake risk .
Furnishing
Azulejo tile decorations from the 17th century can be found in the choir area in particular , but also elsewhere in the church . The altars mostly show baroque decorative forms; only the main altar is classical . A reclining figure of Christ in a glass coffin and a statue of the Virgin of Fátima deserve special mention . The organ of the cathedral of Faro is a work of the German organ builder Arp Schnitger from the years 1715/16.
See also
Web links
- Faro Cathedral - Photos + Quick Facts
- Faro Cathedral - Photos, Info + Bibliography (Portuguese)
- Faro Cathedral - Photos, Info + Bibliography (Portuguese)
Coordinates: 37 ° 0 ′ 48.5 ″ N , 7 ° 56 ′ 4.7 ″ W.