The Holy Church Cathedral Basilica Metropolitana de Santa María
Beautiful and pure stands the Cathedral. “Pulchra es et decora” has been on its cover for almost 800 years, and we celebrate the VIII Centenary of the Burgos Cathedral.
A birthday at the height of the cathedral
The anniversary will arrive on July 20, 2021, but until then the commemorative acts will continue to turn the city into an improvised stalls for a concert from more than a dozen bell towers or to witness the avant-garde of street dance. Such is the repercussion of this event of Exceptional Public Interest that their Majesties the Kings of Spain hold the Honorary Presidency of the VIII Centennial Foundation of the Cathedral. Burgos 2021.
In just one year, Burgos has hosted recitals by the Orfeón Donostiarra, Amancio Prada or the Freixenet Symphony Orchestra and exhibitions on the ceramics of Talavera de la Reina, Gaudí and the Sagrada Familia or the painter José Gutiérrez Solana.
But it stands out even more in these times the social and political consensus that this event has raised. The promoters of the Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Council and the Archdiocese of Burgos were quickly joined by the Burgos City Council, the Burgos Provincial Council and the Castilla y León Government. Afterwards, the trickle of institutions and companies that have dared to collaborate has been incessant.
In addition to the drive to transform the city, on a cultural and social level, this project has an international vocation that is already bearing its first fruits. On March 19, the Foundation took the exhibition ‘Burgos: Land of origins’ to the heart of Europe, to the European Parliament, in Brussels. And ahead is the realization of a route of Gothic cathedrals that unites temples from Italy, France, Germany and Great Britain, as well as other exhibitions that may land in Russia or at the House of European History.
Chapel of the Constables
Eight centuries of the jewel of the Gothic
In the Plaza del Rey San Fernando, a bronze pilgrim rests on a bench. Behind him is a jewel of the world Gothic that is accessed by the Sarmental steps. On its French-inspired cover, Bishop Mauricio, founder of the Seo in 1221, stands out.
As soon as you enter, on the right hand side, another significant door appears, that of the cloister. From there, the visit cannot be missed, signposted at all times. If you go at the exact hours, it is convenient to observe the most famous tenant of the temple: the Papamoscas.
Then the show begins. First, with the altarpiece in the chapel of Santa Ana, by Gil de Siloé; then with the Renaissance Golden Stairs, made by his son, a design prodigy and the prototype of many others.
From there it is almost impossible that the view does not go to the heights. The dome, a top dome of the Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar art, continues to dazzle those who admire it as it did almost five centuries ago. And under that exceptional skylight lie the remains of the peninsula’s most distinguished medieval knight: El Cid.
The dome, one of the most important architectural elements of the cathedral
Not without taking a look at the choir and the main altar, the tour continues to the one so often cited as “cathedral within the Cathedral”. Sculpture, painting and architecture converge in the Chapel of the Constables.
The cloister, from the late 13th century, has recovered its original colors. On its two floors are the Cid chest, the original statues on the façade or a center to interpret the evolution of the building from the primitive Romanesque cathedral.
Outside of the tourist visit, the baroque chapel of Santa Tecla and the one dedicated to the iconic Santo Cristo de Burgos are destined for worship. They are accessed through the main door, that of Santa María.
Burgos, land of origins
By the N-623 you reach the photographed waterfall of Orbaneja del Castillo. This is the preferred enclave for tourists within the Las Loras Geopark, recognized by Unesco. There are routes by car, by bike and on foot to discover its megalithic sites, the pre-Roman forts, its Romanesque churches and hermitages, or to approach the unique Ebro canyon.
Closer, about 20 minutes away, is the railway trench that lit up the remains of the first European. Miguelón, the skull that served to describe the Homo ancestor, appeared at the Atapuerca sites. It can be seen in the Museum of Human Evolution.
Like Atapuerca, the Camino de Santiago is also a World Heritage Site. And its original layout remains intact as it passes through the city. From the Middle Ages there is a universal legend associated with the city: El Cid. His statue, on the back of his horse Babieca, presides over the square dedicated to his figure, as if he were undertaking the Camino del Cid that runs through his exploits through eight provinces.
Such was its influence that the origins of Castilian cannot be understood without the ‘Cantar de mio Cid’ spread by the minstrels. Together with the ‘Poema de Fernán González’ and the cartularies found in the north of the province, in the monastery of Valpuesta, Burgos claims to be the birthplace of Spanish. Centuries later the first editions of ‘La Celestina’ or ‘El Lazarillo’ would come out of the printers installed in the city.
This was a time of splendor for Burgos and its merchants had a lot to do with it. Some as powerful as Cristóbal de Haro, who financed Magellan and Elcano around the world. These merchants were associated in an institution called the Consulate of the Sea, which now has its headquarters on Paseo del Espolón.
La Ecalera Dorada. Construction began 500 years ago in November
All the information in: www.catedraldeburgos2021.es
VIII Centenary of the Cathedral of Burgos in Earth Magazine
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Tags: Architecture, basilica, basilica of santa maría, burgos, chapel, Cathedral, centenary, dome, Santa Iglesia, Santa María, tourism
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