Girona Cathedral
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The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Girona is the main and episcopal church of the Diocese of Girona in Catalonia, Spain. It is the absolutely dominating structure of the city of Girona regardless of which direction you look at it. It stands outside the old city center on the square next to the north wall, where the Romans built the forum of the old Gerunda fort . It represents the highest point of the terraced, historical town development, which stretches over a rock slope with a difference of 60 meters in height over a length of 300 meters down to the river Onyar .
Building history
The religious area of the Roman Forum of Gerunda is the first building complex to be built on the site of today's Gothic cathedral. The few finds of architectural decoration of this Roman forum and temple are related to Provencal workshops. Against this background, the erection of this temple is placed with some caution at the beginning of our era. Magnificent sarcophagi with Christian motifs from the 4th century allow the conclusion that the leading citizens of the city of Girona had already converted to Christianity at this time. The first episcopal church of Girona was probably built on the site of the Sant Feliu church, which is adjacent to today's cathedral. The Roman temple was not used as a Christian church until the 5th century.
From around 717 the city of Girona belonged to the Arab caliphate of Córdoba for a maximum of 70 years . Due to the insecure border situation of the area, this has not undertaken any decisive structural changes in the city or on the temple tableau. In 785, Carolingian troops took the city from the Moors. Legend has it that Charlemagne himself conquered the city thanks to a miracle: a rain of drops of blood and a shining cross drove the Moors to flight. As thanks for this divine support, Karl had a cathedral built and consecrated it to the Virgin Mary. This legend explains the worship of Charlemagne in Girona Cathedral, which is itself also known as the throne , tower or statue of Charlemagne . The inclusion of Girona in the Franconian Empire also brought significant structural changes to Tempelplatz. The city walls were extended around this temple square. At the beginning of the 9th century the temple was converted into a Christian church and dedicated to St. Mary . The function of a bishop's church was assigned to the still existing and modified Roman temple.
It was only at the beginning of the 11th century that Bishop Pere Roger from the family of the Counts of Carcassonne had a new cathedral, a bishop's palace and a residence built for the canons. Construction of the church began in 1010. The church was consecrated on September 21, 1038. The only nave was 60 meters long and had an outer width of 14 meters. The church had a pronounced transept. At the west entrance it had a portico in the form of a tall chapel and two bell towers. One of these two bell towers, the so-called tower of Charlemagne, is still preserved today. The building with the nave and transept was still built in the Romanesque style of the 10th century, although an exterior decoration from the Lombard Romanesque was added. This still shows us today the blind arcades , pilaster strips and toothed friezes of the tower of Charlemagne.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the inadequacy of this Romanesque church building became apparent because of the drastically increased population of Girona. Plans for an expansion of the cathedral had already been drawn up at the end of the 13th century. From 1312 they wanted to build a new apse with radial chapels. Even before the altar was moved to its new location, it was decided in 1347 that the cathedral should be rebuilt and rebuilt, first as a modern, single-nave, then as a classic three-nave (1386) and finally as a single (1416/17) church. The construction work went very slowly. In 1450 the first two sections of the large vault could be closed. In 1513 the newly built Gothic eastern part was temporarily and temporarily connected to the still Romanesque western part of the church. This strange-looking mixed construction, in which the Gothic church vault was pushed over the existing Romanesque church, was shown by the painter Pere Mates in a picture made around 1540. From 1577 construction could continue more quickly and in 1606 it was brought into a uniform style of a Gothic cathedral. This Gothic nave of Girona Cathedral is 23 meters wide and is the widest Gothic nave in the world. It has a height of 35 meters. Only the central nave of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome exceeds this height by three meters. Then the construction of the facade began, which quickly came to a halt and was not resumed until 1860. The construction of the facade could not be completed until the 1960s. In 1701 the remains of the Romanesque cathedral in the western courtyard were torn down. In 1764 the bell tower was completed. 1975, brought the archivolts on to on the south side located Apostelor. After that, no more fundamental structural changes were made to the cathedral.
The cathedral from the outside
The cathedral can be approached from two directions from the old town of Girona. On the one hand, one can climb the impressive wide, baroque staircase from the Onyar towards the cathedral forecourt on the west facade. On the other hand, you can walk towards the Apostle Gate on the side from the south. A promenade, the so-called Paseo Arqueológico to the former city wall, provides a view of the east and north facade .
The cathedral from the west
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The entrance from the west offers an impressive view of the baroque facade and the bell tower high above the huge staircase. The old Roman staircase, or the medieval staircase, was replaced by Bishop Miquel Pontich from 1690 to 1694 with the imposing, baroque staircase made up of three sections with side terraces.
The facade forms a symmetrical, baroque, three-story altar with columns, cornice and gable. On the lowest level, the apostles Peter and Paul are attached to the right and left of the entrance portal . Above it are Saint Joseph with the blooming staff and Saint Jacob as a pilgrim. Our Lady with the child is placed between the latter two . In the top row there is John the Evangelist with the eagle as an emblem and Saint Narcissus , the patron saint of the city and the diocese of Girona. These figures were not created by contemporary, local artists until the 1960s. The large rose window is positioned above the rows of statues. This is surrounded by three sculptures representing the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Seven windows close off the facade at the top.
The bell tower was built at roughly the same location as the original Romanesque bell tower. In 1751 the final, octagonal tower tower with a smaller floor plan was added. The tower is 67 meters high and has six bells, including the Beneta, cast in 1574. This bell has a diameter of 1.90 meters, weighs 4,800 kilos and is tuned in C sharp.
The cathedral from the south
The view from the south of the cathedral involuntarily makes the apostle portal, in all probability the former south entrance of the Romanesque church, jump in the eye. The portal was completed in 1370 under the direction of the stonemason Pere Sacoma up to the level of the canopies above the figure niches. However, the twelve companions of Jesus are missing today. The clay statues were destroyed in the iconoclastic turmoil of the beginning Spanish Civil War in 1936. Only two of these figures, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, have been preserved and are now standing at the entrance to the chapter rooms. In 1975 work on the portal was resumed and the huge archevolts were built. Next to the Apostle Gate, the mighty buttresses on the sides of the Gothic cathedral catch the eye. The Apostelplatz , located on the south side of the church, is closed to the east by the Bishop's Palace ( Palau Episcopal ). This mighty complex, built on the side of the church nave, now houses the Girona Art Museum ( Museu d'Art de Girona ).
The cathedral from the east
If you walk eastwards via Apostelplatz, the street that runs under the arch of the Bishop's Palace, you come to the Gothic apse. The structure of the entire building becomes clear from the east. The vertical lines of the buttresses are clearly perceptible. However, this and the narrow windows above the altar ambulance are unable to create any real impetus against the horizontal lines of the terrace arranged in between. You can see the clear gradations between the nave, the altar ambulatory and the radial chapels. This strong emphasis on the horizontal structural elements is a characteristic of the Catalan Gothic. To the right of the apse is the monastery chapel, which is used for daily services.
The cathedral from the north
The tower of Charlemagne ( Torre de Carlemany ), one of the two bell towers of the Romanesque predecessor church, is adjacent to the nave from the north . Because of its special beauty and stability, this was included in the Gothic building. From the northern slope of Montjuïc, the viewer has a wonderful view of the north facade of the church. If he follows the archaeological path already mentioned in the introduction , he will see the northern city wall, which at the same time represents the boundary of the cathedral complex.
The interior of the cathedral
Many visitors report completely opposite sensations on the exterior and interior of the cathedral. On the outside, the building offers impressive, heavy-duty volumes. If you then enter the cathedral through the northern Sankt-Michaels-Tor, the voluminous masses seem to disappear. Almost supernatural rooms open up to the viewer, on the right the nave, on the left the chancel of the church.
The nave
With a width of 23 meters, the largest Gothic nave in the world consists of four mighty rib vaults that are uniform in style despite the long construction period. These vaults are characterized by sober but graceful lines, which are designed much more modern than the design of the vaults in the chancel. The outer walls of this long ship are simple and simple. The lower area contains chapels and openings of the church building to the outside. Above this is a row with smaller ogival openings, which separates the third level with the large-format church windows from the lower level of the chapel. This greatly reduced triforium functions more as an aesthetic dividing element than as an access route to the chancel. It emphasizes the horizontal, as is very common in the Gothic style of the Mediterranean. At the summit of the ribbed vault there are four final stone rings, which are decorated with polychrome wood carvings. From east to west these are the Mother of God with the Child, Heavenly Father, Saint Peter and Saint Benedict.
There is an immense difference in height between the nave and the chancel. This difference in height is bridged in an original way with three rose windows in the wall closing off the nave, two smaller, basal ones on the north and south sides and a large, central one at the top of the vault. This rose window wall appears light, bright and graceful. The latter, completed in 1528, originally showed a scene from the Last Judgment. This church window was destroyed in 1694 and replaced by today's depiction of the Archangel Michael. The two smaller side roses have retained the original tracery from the 15th century.
The extraordinary dimensions of the nave allowed large church windows. The two oldest windows are on the south wall, from the east first the apostle window and then the sibyl window. The remaining church windows in the nave are of neo-Gothic origin. The north-east and south-west window openings were never equipped with stained glass windows, since the tower of Charlemagne and the current bell tower did not allow suitable incidence of light.
The chapel ambulatory
29 chapels, including the monastery chapel and three portals, are lined up around the large area of the cathedral. Above all in the chapels there are many works of art. For each chapel, the year of completion is given in brackets below. Only for the two chapels on the western front is the start and completion year given because of their extremely long construction time. Overall, the time frame in which the individual parts of the cathedral were built can be seen from the years of completion of the chapels. The years of completion of the chapels increase with the progress of construction from the apse to the east to the west facade. The chapels are in the following configuration from Chapel 1 of the Immaculate Conception , located to the left of the western portal, over the north side, the altar ambulance with chapel 15, the Gregorian chapel, as the apex and the south side to the final chapel 29 of the Annunciation on the west side Numbered clockwise.
The chapels in detail
Chapels on the west side 1
- Chapel 1 (1589/1708): The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the west facade contains a beautiful baroque altar of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which was made by the Catalan sculptor Pau Costa (1663/1672 - 1626/1727) in 1719. Pau Costa created many other works of art for this cathedral.
Chapels on the north side
- Chapel 2 (1458): The first chapel on the north side is dedicated to St. Paul . This chapel is now known as the Bishop's Chapel because it houses the tomb of Bernat de Pau , Bishop of Girona from 1436 to 1457 and at the same time the founder of this chapel. This late baroque tomb is the most important tomb in the cathedral and one of the most important in all of Catalonia. In the lower area, framed by friezes, four angels hold two coats of arms of the bishop with a miter above. In between, two other angels hold the book with the epitaph. The solemnly dressed reclining statue of the bishop is carried by other angel figures. In the upper part of the tomb the soul of the deceased is guided into heaven by four angels. The whole tomb is framed by friezes and an arch with fine tracery. This alabaster and stone tomb from the Girona area is now considered the work of an anonymous artist who was very familiar with northern European sculpture.
- Chapel 3 (1528): The second chapel on the north side is dedicated to the Holy Doctors of the Church. The altar was created by the cabinetmaker Joan Merla from Barcelona between 1597 and 1607. The Barcelona-born Pere Martínez gave it its color and gold version. The Doctors of the Church are represented in niches on three levels. On the second level you can see Saint Thomas Aquinas , Saint Jerome and Saint Bonaventure , on the third level canonized bishops such as Augustine of Hippo , Ambrose of Milan and popes such as Gregory the Great and Leo the Great .
- Chapel 4 (1491): The third chapel on the north front is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth , the mother of John the Baptist. In this chapel, adjacent to the Michael portal to the east, is the Gothic tomb of Cardinal Berenguer d'Anglesola as a reclining statue, which was created by Pere Oller , one of the most famous Catalan sculptors of the 15th century. Berenguer d'Anglesola was bishop of Girona from 1384 to 1408.
- Chapel 5 (1369): To the east, the All Saints Chapel from 1369 connects to the Michael portal as the fourth chapel on the northern front. The altar there dates from 1619. On the right wall is the tomb of Bernat de Vilamarís , who was Bishop of Girona from 1292 to 1312.
- Chapel 6 (1376): The fifth chapel on the north front was originally dedicated to Saint Martha and Saint Bernard . In this chapel there are tombs of the bishops Pere de Rocabertí (1318-1324) on the right and Guillem de Vilarí (1312-1318) on the left, which were made by the builder of the Gothic apse Jaume de Faveran . The Bernhard altar made by Lluís Borassà in 1388 is no longer preserved. The figure of Saint Joseph was only positioned here after the Spanish Civil War, i.e. after 1939.
- Chapel 7 (1367): The sixth chapel on the north side was initially dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene . In the 19th century, the Barcelona Mare de Déu de la Mercè was worshiped . Today in this chapel is the reredos of Saint Raphael, which previously stood in a cloister chapel.
- Chapel 8 (1367): The seventh chapel on the north side was originally dedicated to Saint Stephen , the first martyr of Christianity. The chapel is directly adjacent to the tower of Charlemagne, the still existing bell tower of the original Romanesque basilica. Today the Immaculate Conception of Mary is commemorated in this chapel. This corresponds to the Purissima standing there , which was brought there in 1886 with a new altar. This altar was lost in the iconoclastic turmoil of the beginning Spanish Civil War.
- Chapel 9 (1331): The eighth chapel on the north side is dedicated to St. Andrew and St. Restitutus . In this chapel stands the baroque Narcissus altar. The aforementioned sculptor Pau Costa also created this altar between 1718 and 1724. In this altar there is the figure of Saint Narcissus in the middle and the figure of Saint Andrew at the top. In addition, four pictures by the Catalan Baroque painter Antoni Viladomat are integrated into the altar, clockwise from the top left: St. Theresa of Avila , St. Mary of Cervelló from Barcelona , St. Lawrence and St. Felix . Two more Viladomat pictures hang on the side walls. On the left side the martyrdom of Saint Narcissus is depicted, on the right side the so-called fly miracle. According to legend, troops of the French king Philip III desecrated . the intact corpse of Saint Narcissus. The saint fought back by letting an immeasurable number of terrible flies rise from his grave, which stung and bit the attackers. The attackers and also King Philip III. got sick and died from it.
- Chapel 10. The monastery chapel opens after the entrance to the tower of Charlemagne. This chapel is derived from the former dormitory adjoining the cloister , the dormitory of the canons. The daily readings, laudes and masses take place here today . In this chapel is the presidential chair, the former headquarters of the choir stalls. This special choir stool is a wood carving by the sculptor Aloi de Montbrai from 1351. The cheeks are decorated with four large volutes . There are angels making music on the upper volutes. The Virgin Mary and Charlemagne are placed in the middle. On the lower volutes there is a bishop and his acolyte holding the crosier and the episcopal coat of arms. Above the chapel entrance, the reclining statue of Ramon Berengar II in full armor is attached. This work was created by the builder and sculptor Guillem Morell in 1385. This reclining statue originally covered the grave of Ramon Berengar II in the portico, the entrance area of the previous Romanesque church. It was moved to the interior of the Gothic church in 1385.
Chapels around the altar
- Chapel 11 (1338): The first chapel in the ambulatory is dedicated to the holy martyrs Germanus , Paulinus , Justus and Sicius . There is the sarcophagus of the saint , an early Gothic work from the time before 1350 made of Girones stone adorned with enamel and reliefs, which betrays Italian influence. The middle relief shows Mary with the child. The saints are depicted on the right and left with their instruments of torture. In 1659, four wooden carved heads were added to this sarcophagus. In this chapel there are also the tombs of the bishops Arnau de Mont-rodon (1335–1348) on the left and Bertrán de Mont-odon (1374–1384) on the right, works by an unknown artist. Bishop Arnau consecrated this chapel in 1345 to the veneration of Charlemagne. This extreme cult of the Frankish king based on the old legend about the reconquest of the city of Girona and the founding of the cathedral was only suspended and forbidden by Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484).
- Chapel 12 (1317): The chapel of St. Margaret used to contain an altar from the beginning of the 14th century. This altar is now considered lost.
- Chapel 13 (1319): The third chapel of the altar ambulatory is dedicated to Saint Vincent . In it there is an altar with the Mater Dolorosa , a work by the aforementioned sculptor Pau Costas from 1717. To the left of the figure of the Virgin is a figure of Saint Vincent de Paul , to the right of it a figure of Saint Eulalia , above the titular Saint Vincent of Valencia accompanied by Saint Lucia and a bishop on the right. On the side walls hang paintings by the aforementioned Catalan painter Antoni Viladomat or works from his workshop: on the left the mass of Saint Philip Neri and on the right the sermon of Vincent de Paul .
- Chapel 14 (1319): The fourth chapel of the altar ambulance is dedicated to Saint Anne . An altar from 1777 stands here.
- Chapel 15 (1316): The Gregorian Chapel, formerly also known as the Corpus Christi Chapel, is the 5th and middle chapel. From here you have an excellent view of the rear entrance of the chancel and can see the back of the throne of Charlemagne. In it there is an altar from the 17th century.
- Chapel 16 (1321): The Saint Ursula Chapel is the sixth chapel in the hall. Originally there was a very beautiful altar by Juan de Borgoña from 1525, which is now in the Museu d'Art of Girona. Today, the alabaster figure of the Reclining Christ by Domènec Fita from 1959 is located here . This angular figure reinforces the drama of Christ's suffering through death on the cross. The stained glass window in the chapel was made by the same artist. The background for the reclining figure of Christ is a tapestry from around 1560 with a resurrection scene from the Juan Ferres collection. The reclining figure of the exhausted Christ is the most famous art piece from the 20th century in the cathedral.
- Chapel 17 (1318): In the Saint Anastasia Chapel, the seventh chapel of the altar ambulatory, there is a Saint George from the 17th century and a church window from the 1990s. The dedication name came from one of the chapels of the previous Romanesque church.
- Chapel 18 (1316): The chapel dedicated to Saint Thomas has an altar from 1840.
- Chapel 19 (1330): The last chapel of the altar ambulatory is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria .
Chapels on the south side
- Chapel 20 (1341): The first chapel after the ambulatory on the south side is dedicated to Saint Martin and Saint Francis . Here stands a magnificent altar dedicated to the Corpus Christi. This work of art was carved by Joan Coll in 1562 , painted by Perris de la Roca , an artist from Orleans, and gilded by Nicolau Mattes . In the middle of the altar is a painting of the Last Supper . The upper part depicts the putting on of the crown of thorns and the fall of Christ under the cross , while the lower part depicts The Capture on the Mount of Olives and The Flagellation . The crowning glory of the altar is a carved crucifixion scene with the crucified Christ, Mary and Saint John. Two empty niches originally provided the figures of the titular saints of this chapel, Saints Martin and Saint Francis. Both figures are now considered lost.
- Chapel 21 (1335): The first chapel of the actual nave on the south side is dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist . In this chapel there is now a reclining statue and the original grave of Countess Ermessenda de Carcassonne , Countess of Girona and Barcelona. In the Gothic reclining statue, the countess is idealized, with extremely harmonious facial features, portrayed in a completely calm posture. This Gothic statue is the work of the sculptor Guillem Morell from 1385. The polychrome version of the sarcophagus, probably the original from the time of the Countess's death, bears the coat of arms of the House of Barcelona with gold and red alternating ribbons. The tomb of Countess Ermessenda and the not-so-well-preserved tomb of her great-grandson Ramon Berengars II both stood in the portico of the previous Romanesque church. In 1385 they were relocated to the interior of the Gothic cathedral by royal order and encased in alabaster.
- Chapel 22 (1358): The second chapel of the south nave is the St. Michael's Chapel . The altar structure from 1720 was again made by the sculptor Pau Costas. It integrates the painting by an unknown artist from around 1715, a copy of an original work by the Italian baroque painter Guido Reni from 1635.
- Chapel 23 (1370): The third chapel of the south nave is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul . The penitential canon's confessional stands in this chapel today. On the side walls are two paintings by unknown artists from the 18th century. They come from another, no longer known retabulum.
- Chapel 24 (1373): The chapel of Saints Ivo and Honoratus is the fourth chapel of the south nave. The altar structure from 1731 is by Joan Torras . On the side walls of this chapel there are two more, but somewhat simpler, paintings: Saint Ignatius in ecstasy before the Trinity and Saint Anthony of Padua preaching to the fish . The two saints of Ivo and Honoratus are missing from today's altar structure.
- Chapel 25 (1373): After the small Dominikus chapel, the fifth chapel of the south nave, with a carved Christ and two baroque paintings by unknown artists ( The Holy Family and The Doubting Thomas ) follows the inner vestibule of the Apostle Gate.
- Chapel 26 (????): The Benedict Chapel is followed by the sixth chapel of the southern nave of the church. Here stands the figure of Saint Cecilia by the Catalan sculptor Francesc Bacquelaine from 1955.
- Chapel 27 (1438): The seventh and penultimate chapel of the southern nave is dedicated to the Christian Egyptian couple Julian and Basilissa . The Renaissance font from 1540, a work carved from a single block of Girones stone, is a joint project of the stone carvers Guido Belljoch , Joan Roig and Master Tomás. On the twelve pages, the twelve apostles are framed by classically inspired motifs. This baptismal font originally stood at the entrance to the previous Romanesque cathedral. When this portico was demolished in 1707, the baptismal font was moved to the Julia-Basilissa-Chapel.
- Chapel 28 (1442): The south-western and eighth chapel of the nave is dedicated to Saints George and Dalmatius . In addition to the Isidore Altar from 1780, this chapel offers two other monumental Gothic tombs: First that of the Bernat brothers († 1442, left) and Dalmau de Raset († 1452, right)
Chapels on the west side 2
- Chapel 29 (1589/1708): The last chapel that closes the church aisle is the Annunciation Chapel in the west facade of the cathedral. Here is another altar by Pau Costa, the Altar of the Annunciation from 1725. The Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel are presented in a room with a deep perspective. Above everything is the patron saint of the chapel founder, Saint Jacob and the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love. On the sides are the figures of Saints Bonaventure and Franz von Paola . In this chapel, as well as in the parallel chapel of the Annunciation , remains of the polychrome versions of the Gothic arches from the 17th and 18th centuries can be seen.
Altar and high altar
From the middle of the large nave you can get a good overview of the smaller chancel of outstanding beauty. The three-nave apse , the oldest part of this Gothic cathedral, was built between 1312 and 1350. The two side aisles lead around the main altar with the already described wreath of nine chapels. The first construction phase with the nine radial chapels is attributed to a French builder named Enric. From 1320 this master builder was replaced by Jaume de Faveran , who had already directed the construction of the Cathedral of Narbonne and the Church of Saint Jean of Perpignan. This brought in the features of the Mediterranean Gothic style already described on the outer facade. The apse is only of moderate height; the central nave is not very pronounced; the horizontal lines are emphasized more and the structure is more important than any decorative art. The altar project was completed from 1330 by the builder Gillem de Cor . The three large apse arches were probably connected to the transept of the original Romanesque basilica, as both structures are of the same width.
In the central nave of the chancel you can find the oldest glass windows of this church building from the second quarter of the 14th century (for example the glass window of the crucifixion of Christ) with the glass windows of the Marian cycle by an unknown master. The stained glass windows in the ambulatory date from the second half of the 14th century and were created by masters of the international Gothic with Guillem Letumgard and Lluís Borassà . Details or faces of these glass window figures are often no longer recognizable due to their old age. The facial features or folds worked with gray pigments have bleached over the centuries. These peculiar faceless figures only regain their facial expressions in close-ups with good photo technology.
The main altar, the liturgical center of the Diocese of Girona, stands on the remains of the central apse of the Romanesque predecessor cathedral, which are no longer visible, separated by high, wrought-iron bars. In addition, the physical bishopric, cathedra or especially here in Girona called the throne of Charlemagne is here. The altar plate made of white marble is bordered on the outside with friezes made of geometric motifs such as rhombuses and circles, then with semi-circles similar to oriental decorations that alternate with plant motifs. These raised friezes allow the actual altar plate to lie lower in the center. Similar altars were common in the 11th century in the Languedoc in the cathedrals of Rodez or Elne, in the monastery of Quarante, in the abbey of Arles-sur-Tech to the monastery of Cluny in Burgundy. All of these altars are most likely from a specific workshop in Narbonne . This altar was consecrated on September 21, 1038. This can be seen in the engraved writing of Bishop Pere Roger Petrus episcopus . This altar was already in the apse of the Romanesque previous church in the middle of the 11th century and was erected in the Gothic successor building in 1347. The cathedra, the mighty bishop's magnificent seat made of Pyrenees marble from the 11th century was also located in the Romanesque predecessor building. The semicircular backrest and armrests are decorated with stone decorative buttons. The outer sides have similar ornaments as the altar table. On the front of the armrests are the symbols of the four evangelists: the bull of St. Luke (bottom left), the angel of St. Matthew (top left), the lion of St. Mark (bottom right) and the eagle of John (top right ). This bishopric of Girona is singular in art history. The strong shape in connection with the evangelist symbols should give the respective bishop a majestic reputation. Was around 1347, spent than the cathedra in the sanctuary of the new Gothic cathedral, you worked on the back of the Chair of a relief model: One that gremiale supporting Bishop, accompanied by a minister who holds the crozier, and acolytes.
The altar structure of the main altar, divided into three levels, made of silver, gold, enamel and precious stones, offers figures of saints and bishops on the lower level. Gilabert and Berenguer de Gruïlles (uncle and nephew) who commissioned this altar are represented with their coats of arms . The two upper levels represent 16 scenes from the life of Jesus. The crucifixion of Christ in the middle level and a Christ Pantocrator in the upper row are each in the center of their row. There are three figures on top of the altar structure. In the center the Virgin Mary with the Child, the patron saint of the cathedral; on the right Saint Narcissus, the patron saint of the diocese and on the left Saint Felix, the martyr of Girona. The first works of the two upper rows from the years 1320 to 1325 come from Master Bartomeu . The Valencian Pere Berneç created the predella and the turrets with their figures from 1358 . The entire altar structure could be folded away so that the view of the bishop seated in the cathedra was clear. A sail-shaped canopy made of silver, supported by four hexagonal columns, above the main altar is a symbol of devotion to Jesus Christ.
In the ribbed vault above the altar, visible and symbolic, all lines converge. They integrate art and cult in the chancel. This itself represents the center of the Roman Catholic cult in the diocese of Girona. In its entirety, it is one of the most important religious art objects of the European Middle Ages.
Cloister and outbuildings
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Originally , the common and living rooms of the canons and canons were located around the cloister of Girona Cathedral. In the south of the cloister was the chapter house (documented since 1058). This was integrated into the new Gothic church building in the 14th century. To the east was the dormitory , which was later converted into a sacristy and today forms the monastery chapel. To the west was a cellar and the refectory . This was rebuilt in 1532 to become today's Hope Chapel, the Capella de l'Esperança . The cathedral library has been located in a room on the 1st floor in the north of the cloister since 1395. These outbuildings of the church were connected to one another via an open courtyard as early as the 11th century. At the end of the 12th century, the four gallery aisles that still exist today were added. These galleries are realized as colonnades. The arches and the barrel and quarter barrel vaults rest on pillars and columns with capitals and friezes . The capitals and friezes show essentially three different types of sculptural work. In addition to scenes from the Old and New Testament, there are scenes of humans and animals as well as plant and geometric motifs (see gallery below). Some of the original Romanesque capitals were later replaced by Gothic forms. In general, the cloister is the preferred location for the burial sites of the clergy, especially the canons. In addition to monumental graves and ossuaries on the outer walls of all galleries, there are numerous “simple” grave slabs of clergymen, which one “enters” on the way through the cloister.
The southern gallery, closest to the cathedral, has numerous scenes from the Scriptures. If you walk counter-clockwise through the cloister, the pillars of the south gallery offer numerous motifs from Genesis : The creation of Eve , who is brought to Adam, the fall of man , the expulsion from paradise, the condemnation to work, Noah's ark and many others . Scenes from the New Testament and the Christmas cycle follow: the proclamation of the birth of Christ to the shepherds, the murder of innocent children , the offering of Jesus in the temple. On the south gallery there are some Gothic capitals that were added later. Among other things, they show a hunting scene with a lion.
When walking through the east gallery, two walled-up windows are visible on the outer wall in the upper wall sector. These were the window openings of the former dormitory that now houses the monastery chapel. In the southern part of this gallery you can find the following biblical scenes about Samson carved into the capitals: Samson and the lion, the fight against the Philistines , the betrayal by Delilah , the destruction of the Philistine temple. The rest of the gallery to the north shows plants and animals as well as a fantasy motif.
The following north gallery is the only one to have a more resilient barrel vault for structural reasons. Because it is the only one that has a further building floor with the cathedral library installed there. The west, south and east galleries, on the other hand, are covered by quarter-barrel vaults. Many of the north gallery capitals show animal and plant motifs. On the outer wall there is a stone with a Roman inscription, which is dated to the end of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd century. It contains a dedication to Lucius Plotius Asprenas, a high municipal official of Gerunda, by his wife Julia Marcia. It is very likely that this stone comes from the Roman forum that existed at this point in front of the cathedral. At the northwest corner there is a closed wall opening on which the inscription " domus canonice " (the house of the canons) can be found. As already mentioned, the cloister originally belonged to the canons' living quarters.
The outer wall of the west gallery was massively changed in the 19th century by the installation of niche graves under arches. On the capitals of this gallery there is the famous representation of the cathedral hut with its stonemasons, sculptors, water carriers and the bishop with his entourage who blesses the entire cathedral hut. The artisans of the Girones cloister immortalized themselves in their own work.
From the center of the cloister courtyard, the north facade and, above all, the “Tower of Charlemagne”, one of the two bell towers of the Romanesque predecessor church from the 11th century. This bell tower is built in the Lombard Romanesque style. At the top of the tower, the number of wall openings increases characteristically. On the lower floors, limestone from Girona was combined with pilaster strips and wall panels made of gold-colored sandstone. The colored wall decoration that came about in this way probably characterized the entire Romanesque church building. From 1362 the tower was integrated into the Gothic structure. It "lost" large areas of its east and west as well as the entire south facade. Parts of the seventh floor of the tower were also lost. This was restored in 1961.
- Impressions of the cloister
Relief with Noah's Ark
Angel from the story of Abraham
Relief with Adam and Eve on one of the capitals
Stonemasons on a capital
"Temps de flors" 2013
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literature
- Josep Calzada i Oliveras: Catedral de Girona . Series: Arte en España, Volume 10. Editorial Escudo de Oro, Barcelona 1979, ISBN 978-84-378-1714-9 (Catalan).
- Hèlios Rubio et al .: Art de Catalunya (Ars Cataloniae) . La catedral de Girona. 1st edition. tape 4 /16 (Arquitectura religiosa antiga i medieval). Edicions L'Isard, Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84-89931-13-5 , pp. 196-199 .
- Marc Sureda i Jubany: The Girona Cathedral . Visiting guide (translation from Catalan: Susanne MJ Hess). Ediciones Palacios y Museus (P&M), Madrid 2015, ISBN 978-84-8003-628-3 .
Web links
- Catedraldegirona.org: The Cathedral of Girona. Retrieved March 28, 2018 (Catalan).
Individual references and comments
- ↑ Both created by Josep M. Bohigas.
- ↑ Both created by Antoni Casamor.
- ↑ Created by Jaume Busquets.
- ↑ Both created by Domènec Fita.
- ↑ The western rose window and the figures of the three theological virtues were created as early as 1733.
- ↑ The viewer directs his gaze inside the church in the direction of the altar to the east.