Tui Cathedral

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Santa María Cathedral of Tui
Cathedral of Santa María de Tui, cloister

The Cathedral of Tui is Maria consecrated the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Tui-Vigo in the province of Pontevedra the autonomous Spanish region of Galicia . It was started in the first half of the 12th century in the Romanesque style and completed in the 13th century in the Gothic style. The cathedral is located on a hill to which the old town of Tui connects, above the Río Miño .

history

Already in the 5th / 6th In the 16th century under the rule of the Suebi , Tui was the seat of a diocese and a Christian basilica stood on the site of the current cathedral . After an interruption during the time of the Moorish and Norman invasions, Tui became a bishopric again in the 11th century. The construction of today's cathedral began in the first half of the 12th century. In 1170, King Fernando II (1154–1188) moved the city, which had originally settled near the church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns , to the hill around the cathedral and had it fortified with walls and towers. Around 1180 a second phase of construction of the cathedral in Gothic style began and around 1225 the cathedral was consecrated . At the beginning of the 15th century the bell tower and the Andreasturm (Torre San Andrés) were built. At the end of the 15th century, the Romanesque choir was demolished and chapels were built in its place . Since 1959 Tui has belonged to the newly founded Diocese of Tui-Vigo. The former collegiate church of Santa María in Vigo was elevated to a co- cathedral .

architecture

Tui Cathedral, interior, triforium and ribbed vault

The cathedral is shaped like a Latin cross . Nave and transept in three ships divided. The groin vault of the transept dates back to the 12th century and is Romanesque. The numerous figurative capitals depict animals, people and mythical creatures, battle scenes between animals and people or religious themes such as the birth of Christ.

The ribbed vaults of the main nave and the side aisles and the triforium were built in the Gothic style at the end of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th century. The dome over the crossing rests on pointed arches . It dates from the early 16th century and has a star vault .

North portal

Tui Cathedral, north portal with mocheta

The north portal is still from the Romanesque construction phase. The portal zone is surrounded by a large round arch that spans two smaller arches. Above the spandrels , on a reused pre-Romanesque capital, stands the sculpture of St. Epictitus who, according to legend, was the first bishop of Tui. Among the portal is cut, its with Röllchen- and Taubandfriesen decorated archivolts on two pillars rest. Under the unadorned arched field , corbels ( mochetas ) carved animal heads (bear and wolf) frame the wooden doors from the 18th century, which are decorated with floral motifs and busts of saints.

Main portal

Tui Cathedral, west facade with main portal

The west facade with the main portal was completed around 1225. The vestibule dates from the middle of the 13th century. Eight pairs of columns with four sculptures frame the portal on both sides. On the left side (from the outside in) Moses with the tablets of the law are shown, the prophet Isaiah , Simon Peter with two keys and John the Baptist holding a disc with a lamb in his hands. The figures on the right are interpreted (from the outside in) as the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah , the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon . Eight arched archivolts with floral decorations frame the tympanum , on which the Adoration of the Magi is depicted. The outer figures are King Herod and Joseph . The towers above are supposed to point to the heavenly Jerusalem . The theme of the lintel is the birth of Christ. As in a representation on a capital in the cathedral, Mary lies in a four-poster bed . To the left of this is the Annunciation to the Shepherds and to the right you can see Joseph and the Archangel Gabriel .

Furnishing

Between the crossing and the nave there are two organs that were created in 1714 by Domingo Rodríguez de Pazos. Both are crowned by saints on horseback, reminiscent of figureheads . The larger organ is dedicated to Petrus Gonzales (San Telmo), the patron saint of the city and the diocese and the seafarer, whose bones are kept in the cathedral. The other organ is dedicated to the apostle James , depicted as Matamoros (the slayer of the Moors). The choir stalls , which were commissioned from Francisco Castro Canseco in 1699 and which stood in the main nave until 1954, are placed under the organs and in the choir room . It is decorated with sculptures that show scenes from the life and work of San Telmo and depictions of other saints and martyrs. The chestnut bishop's chair , like the choir stalls in the chapter house, was made by Domingo Rodríguez de Pazos in the 18th century. On it the Assumption of Mary is represented and St. Epictitus.

Capilla Santa Catalina

In the former Capilla Santa Catalina (Chapel of St. Catherine ) the following sacred art objects are exhibited:

  • a seated Mother of God with child from the 14th century
  • a ciborium from the 15th century
  • a processional monstrance made of silver from 1602
  • Limestone relief depicting the Entombment of Christ from 1520, a fragment of the former main altar that was removed in the 17th century

Cloister

Tui Cathedral, cloister

The cloister is Gothic and dates back to the 13th century. Its galleries rest on pointed twin arcades surrounded by large pointed arches. The simply designed capitals suggest Cistercian influence. Arched arcades open to the former chapter house , which is still preserved from the Romanesque cloister of the 12th century. It has figurative capitals that are badly damaged. One scene shows mutton fighting, another a she-wolf suckling her young. The stone benches are also still there. Sarcophagi , coats of arms carved in stone of bishops and noble families and other stone fragments are exhibited in the chapter house .

See also

literature

  • Domingo Cameselle Bastos, Ernsto Iglesias Almeida: La Catedral de Tui. Edilesa, Trobajo del Camino 2004, ISBN 84-8012-047-9 .

Web links

Commons : Tui Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 42 ° 2 ′ 46.2 "  N , 8 ° 38 ′ 39.5"  W.