Zamora Cathedral
The cathedral of Zamora , built in the 12th and early 13th centuries in Romanesque style , is dedicated to Christ the Savior ( San Salvador in Spanish ). It has been classified as a national cultural monument ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) since 1889 .
location
The cathedral stands on a hill above the Duero river in the middle of the old town of Zamora at an altitude of approx. 660 m .
history
The cathedral hill has probably been inhabited since the Bronze Age; later there was an oppidum of the Celtic Vaccaei . The Roman road from Emerita Augusta ( Mérida ) to Asturica Augusta ( Astorga ) led through Zamora. The city was deserted during the Arab-Moorish invasion, but it was already in 893 by Alfonso III. Recaptured from Asturias ( reconquista ) and then repopulated ( repoblación ) by Christians from the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula . The diocese of Zamora probably originated in the early 10th century; According to tradition, the first bishop was Attila of Zamora . The city was destroyed by the Muslim general Almansor around 988 ; thereafter the diocese remained vacant until 1121 and was co-administered from Salamanca . In 1121, "Bernard", a monk from Sahagún, took over the office of bishop, which was continued by his successor, Bishop Esteban in the years 1150–1174; despite an inscription to the contrary, it was possibly already Bernard who took the initiative to build today's cathedral, whereas Esteban was able to complete large parts of the building during his lifetime.
architecture
The cathedral was designed as a three-aisled and three apse basilica . While the central nave is ribbed , the side aisles are only covered by eight-part groined vaults . The entire choir area was redesigned in the Gothic style in the 16th century . In the 16th century, today's inner choir ( coro ) with its choir stalls (sillería) was built in the style of the early Renaissance . In the 18th century the cloister (claustro) was renewed.
Crossing tower (cimborrio)
During the renovations in the 16th century, the transept with its 16-part crossing dome (cimborrio) remained intact. This is richly structured on the outside (windowed tambour with columns as well as round corner turrets and small ornamental gables); the respective roofs are covered with imitation shingles . The roof of the main dome is divided into 16 slightly corrugated segments by overlying "ribs". Inside, the spherically curved segments of the “ribbed dome” rest on a round drum with a surrounding window wreath , which in turn rests on four unadorned corner gussets (pendentifs) .
Comparable constructions can only be found on the old cathedrals of Salamanca and Plasencia as well as on the collegiate church of Toro .
North transept portal (Puerta del Obispo)
The north transept facade of the cathedral is one of the richest Romanesque portal facades. It is divided into three parts by two bundle pillars and is reminiscent of a triumphal arch scheme - without the height extension . The lower middle part is completely taken up by a portal staggered in depth and height, the archivolts of which show an abstract decor with an Islamic effect. While the portal zone is entirely non-figurative, there are small figurative scenes in the two side tympanum fields; Above that there are two rosettes within recessed square frames . A row of false windows with inserted columns and a further level with reduced decoration form the upper end.
Bell tower (campanario)
In the early 13th century, the 37 m high bell tower was built on a square floor plan in the north-west corner of the church facade , the three upper floors of which are windowed in increasing numbers on all sides.
Furnishing
While the actual church building is rather unadorned, the later fixtures and additions are of great artistic quality:
Trascoro
Altarpiece on Trascoro
Choir stalls of the retro choir
Main altar
Altar relief
museum
The cathedral museum preserves and shows sculptures, reliefs, paintings and tapestries from different periods since the Gothic. An approx. 2 m high silver monstrance (custodia) and a painting of the Madonna and Child in a winged frame are among the treasures of the exhibition.
literature
- José Ángel Rivera de las Heras: La Catedral de Zamora . Durius Cultural SL, Salamanca 2001, ISBN 84-931293-1-3 .
- Joaquín Hernández Martín: Guía de arquitectura de Zamora. Desde los orígenes al siglo XXI . Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de León, 2005, ISBN 84-607-9629-9 .
Web links
- Zamora Cathedral - Cathedral website; Photos + information (spanish)
- Zamora Cathedral - Photo + Info (Romanico, Spanish)
- Zamora Cathedral - Photos
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zamora Cathedral - History
- ↑ Cathedral of Zamora - transept north portal
- ^ Zamora Cathedral - Museum
Coordinates: 41 ° 29 ′ 56 " N , 5 ° 45 ′ 17" W.