Ourense Cathedral
The Cathedral of Ourense is dedicated to Saint Martin and the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Ourense in the autonomous Spanish region of Galicia . It stands at the transition from Romanesque to Gothic . Its origins go back to the late 12th century. From the Romanesque period it has preserved a wealth of sculptures and important altarpieces and choir stalls from the Renaissance period . In 1887 the Pope gave the cathedral the title of minor basilica . On June 3, 1931 it was declared a cultural monument (Monumento Nacional).
history
The foundation of the diocese of Orense is traced back to the time of the Suebauer rule . In the course of the Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, Ourense also fell under Arab rule. Under Alfons III. el Magno (866–910) the city was recaptured and again the bishopric . The Crónica Albeldense mentions a bishop named Sebastián and the existence of a cathedral . Under King Sancho II (1065-1072) the church of Santa María Madre was built, the predecessor of today's cathedral. The latter was built from the end of the 12th century until the second half of the 13th century.
architecture
The cathedral of San Martín has the plan of a Latin cross . The nave has three aisles . It extends over eight bays and has a ribbed vault . The central and side aisles separate pointed arch arcades that rest on octagonal pillars with pillars . The half-columns are provided with leaf and figure capitals. The transepts extend over three bays. The cathedral has three portals .
Portal of the north transept
The Romanesque portal of the north transept was changed in the 15th century after damage. It is spanned by three archivolts , each resting on three pillars decorated with capitals. Two garment figures that are interpreted as a prophet (left) and apostle (right) are still preserved from the Romanesque portal. An angel whose head has been chopped off is depicted on a pillar. Above the portal there is a representation from the 15th century in a round arch. Angels hold the instruments of passion and chalices for the blood of Christ under a cross . In the middle, Mary sits with the body of her son on her lap. On her right stands John with a book in his hand, next to him St. Martin, the patron saint of the cathedral, who sits on a horse and shares his cloak with a beggar. To the left of Mary are Mary Magdalene with her attribute, the perfume bottle, the apostle James , dressed as a pilgrim, and Peter with two large keys in his hand.
Portal of the south transept
The portal of the south transept is designed in a similar way to that of the north transept but better preserved. The three archivolts as well as the capitals of the pillars are decorated with figures and plant motifs. The two middle figures of the innermost, jagged arch of the reveal are interpreted as King Solomon and Queen of Sheba , who appear to be conducting a disputation . On the left center capital, a person writhes out of the foliage and sticks out his bare knee. The upper end of the portal region forms a circular arc fries , which is provided with figures on corbels rests. Animals and leaves with pronounced ribs are carved in the fields between the arches.
Portico del Paraíso
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The Pórtico del Paraíso ( Porch of Paradise ) was created under the pontificate of Bishop Lorenzo (1218-1248) in the first half of the 13th century and is inspired by the Pórtico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela by Maestro Mateo . It forms the western end of the nave, to which it opens in three arched arcades. The Heavenly Jerusalem is represented here as described in the Secret Revelation . Angels stand in the four corners of the vault, blowing the trumpet and announcing the Last Judgment . On the archivolts of the central arcade, the 24 old people of the Apocalypse are depicted, playing musical instruments such as the viola , psaltery , hurdy-gurdy and flute . On the pillars under the archivolts stand prophets and apostles holding scrolls with their names in their hands. On the archivolts of the southern arcade the blessed and the damned are depicted, whose judgment is written on the two scrolls in the middle: VENITE BENEDICTI PATRIS MEI (Come here, you blessed ones of my father) and ITEM MALEDICTI IN IGNEM ETERNUM (Go from me, you cursed, into eternal fire) (Matthew 25:34 and 41).
Choir room and crossing
An eight-part dome with a star vault and sculptures of the twelve apostles rises above the crossing above trumpets . It is the work of Rodrigo de Badajoz and was created between 1499 and 1505.
The end of the chancel is formed by a carved altar from the early 16th century that covers the entire east wall and is attributed to the Flemish sculptor Cornielles de Hollanda . The reredos depict the life of Jesus in 19 scenes , from the birth of Mary to the resurrection of Christ. The individual scenes are supplemented by 40 fully sculptural depictions of prophets, apostles, saints and martyrs , which were painted white, marble-like in the 19th century .
In the apse there is now part of the choir stalls made of walnut wood, which was made by Diego de Solís and Juan de Angés at the end of the 16th century. Originally it consisted of two rows with a total of 70 seats and was housed in the first three bays of the main nave. It is richly carved with people from the Old and New Testaments , with church fathers and prophets, the apostles and evangelists , numerous saints, representations of the virtues and scenes of paradise.
Capilla del Cristo
The Capilla del Cristo, which adjoins the north transept in the east, is equipped with several gilded carved altars. Under a carved, gilded canopy is the chapel's main altar with a crucifix from the 14th century. Further parts of the choir stalls from the 16th century are housed on the walls. A gallery runs on three sides of the chapel , on the underside of which the ten sibyls are carved in rosewood . The reliefs were created by Castro Canseco in 1703.
Further equipment
In the church there are eight wall niche graves with reclining figures from the 13th to 15th centuries. The bishops of Ourense are buried in six graves. A Romanesque crucifix of the four-nail type is kept in the Capilla de la Asunción. The grilles in front of the choir and on the Capilla del Santo Cristo were created by Juan Bautista Celma at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century, as were the two pulpits .
organ
The organ of the cathedral was built in 1924 by the organ building company Elezgaray & Co and extensively restored in 1978 by the organ building company Aspiazu. The instrument has 28 stops on two manuals and a pedal .
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Cloister
The four bays of the cloister adjoin the south side of the cathedral . It was started towards the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th century and was not completed. The four yokes are provided with ribbed vaults, which are supported by bundles of columns. Their capitals are carved with figural scenes and plant motifs.
See also
literature
- José Manuel García Iglesias (Ed.): La Catedral de Ourense. Laracha 1993, ISBN 84-86614-68-6 .
Web links
- Historia and pictures of the Cathedral of Ourense . ( Memento of May 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) History and pictures of Ourense Cathedral (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bible-online
- ↑ More information on the organ (PDF) accessed on January 7, 2017.
Coordinates: 42 ° 20 ′ 11.2 " N , 7 ° 51 ′ 46.3" W.