Tarragona Cathedral
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The Cathedral of Tarragona or the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary ( Catalan Catedral Basílica Metropolitana i Primada de Tarragona ) is the central church of the city of Tarragona in the Catalan province of the same name in Spain . The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Tarragona was built on a hill together with a monastery on the site of a Roman temple, of which columns are still preserved in the monastery courtyard. It was built after the Romanesque beginning in the early Gothic style. The church, which was unfinished because of the plague, was consecrated in 1331. The church was given in 1894 by Pope Leo XIII. the title of a minor basilica and was declared a national monument in 1905.
history
The city of Tarragona, which emerged from the Roman Tarraco, lost its importance for the Hispanic province due to the Germanic and later Muslim conquerors and was in the border area until the reconquest by the Counts of Barcelona in the 12th century. At the end of the century, the cathedral was built on the remains of the Augustus temple, which were now also used by a Visigoth basilica and a mosque. The building history up to the consecration in 1331 is hardly documented. The Romanesque church, which was presumably initially single-nave, was given robust walls with high-lying ceilings for use as a fortified church . The planning was changed around 1200 in favor of a three-aisled basilica with a transept and four side apses; it was not given very high rib vaults . Under Bishop Aspàreg de la Barca (1215–1234) the first services could be celebrated in the choir. The construction of the dome began in 1250 and the facade began in 1277. After the consecration of the church in 1331, construction continued until the 18th century with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque chapels .
description
The main facade is characterized by the Gothic main portal, which was built between two Romanesque side portals until 1475, with rich sculptural decorations and the large rose window above it, which has a diameter of 11 meters. The central column of the portal is adorned with a statue of the Madonna. The three naves, about 100 meters long, close with semicircular apses. The long main nave is 26 meters high and 16.5 meters wide, the side aisles are half the size. The transept is illuminated by further rose windows at both ends. The octagonal crossing dome rises on a Romanesque base with purely Gothic windows. The church windows were changed into the baroque. In the choir is the high altar, the retable from the 15th century was created by Pere Joan from colorfully painted alabaster and shows the enthroned God the Father in the central field and scenes from the life of St. Thekla .
Significant Gothic works of art are the bishop's tomb, adorned with beautiful sculptures, of Don Juan de Aragón, son of James II , who was Bishop of Tarragona during the last five years, and the 14th century Chapel of Our Lady.
A marble portal from the 13th century leads on the left side of the choir into the important Romanesque cloister, to which the diocesan museum with a collection of sacred art from the Middle Ages and modern times is attached. It shows, for example, the Flemish tapestries from the Brussels workshop and the altarpiece by Jaume Huguet . On the right side of the cathedral is the bell tower.
Web links
- Cathedral website (multilingual)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Basilica Catedral Metropolitana y Primada de Santa María
- ↑ Catedral de Santa Maria de Tarragona
- ^ Cathedral of Santa Maria de Tarragona
- ↑ Tarragona Cathedral
Coordinates: 41 ° 7 ′ 9.1 ″ N , 1 ° 15 ′ 29 ″ E