Virtual visit to the five cathedrals of Galicia.
If we talk about the cathedrals of Galicia, the one of Santiago, the great temple of our autonomous community and one of the most important in Christianity, will undoubtedly come to mind. But there are other cathedrals in Galicia. Altogether up to five.
A cathedral is an episcopal see, in fact, the rank of the temple comes from the term “chair” which is the bishop’s chair during religious ceremonies. In other words, if we speak of five cathedrals in Galicia, there are five Galician bishoprics. And these have their headquarters in Santiago de Compostela, Ourense, Tui, Lugo and Mondoñedo. Let’s look at each of them in more detail:
We present a virtual visit to each of them:
The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Without a doubt, of all the cathedrals in Galicia, that of Compostela is the most important and famous. And not only that, it is one of the most outstanding temples of Spanish heritage, a practically obligatory place to visit during a vacation or pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the destination longed for by thousands of pilgrims who arrive every year from anywhere on the globe. Something they have been doing for centuries, since the tomb of the apostle was discovered here in 814. It was then when this temple began to rise, which over time has become an artistic treasure with works such as the Pórtico de la Gloria or its immense baroque facade in front of the Obradoiro square.
Here you can meet her: Santiago’s cathedral
Tui Cathedral:
The existence of a cathedral has nothing to do with the provincial capitals or other lay administrative instances. It is something more related to the history of the Church and where its rulers and its demarcations once settled. For this reason, most of the cathedrals of Galicia are not in current provincial capitals. And an example is that of Tui.
Tui is a border town with Portugal and on the banks of the Miño River. And that border character made this cathedral look like a castle. It is the Cathedral of Santa María, already originated in early Christian times. Although what we see today is a medieval temple, which unites both the Romanesque and the Gothic styles.
The start of construction dates back to the end of the 11th century (privileges of the Infanta Urraca in 1071 and of the Counts of Galicia, Raimundo and Urraca, in 1095). The Romanesque plan and the capitals will influence the entire region of the medieval Tui bishopric, between the Lima river and the Vigo estuary. The Gothic cloister, from the second half of the 13th century, is the largest preserved medieval cloister in Galicia. The only Romanesque chapter house in Galicia and one of the largest of its kind in Spain is preserved within the cloister. Part of its goldsmith work would be carried out by Jewish silversmiths and converts in the 15th and 16th centuries (Gothic chalice, coconut cup, scepters of dignities, acetre, etc.).
The collection of baroque liturgical furniture is one of the most interesting at a Spanish level: choir stalls (1699), historical doors (1707), drawers in the sacristy (1712), stalls in the chapter room (1712), organs of San Telmo and Santiago (1714) and Eucharistic Monument of Holy Thursday (1775).
Here you can meet her: Tui Cathedral
Ourense cathedral
The cathedral of San Martín de Ourense is also medieval in appearance. Of all the cathedrals in Galicia, this is one of the most unknown treasures, as in general the entire Ourense city. But do not hesitate to discover it.
A building that is the true germ of the entire old town of Ourense.
Transitional Romanesque cathedral (XII and XIII centuries) with notable influences from Compostela and Cistercian art.
Latin cross plan, with three naves, a single nave transept and a later added ambulatory (17th century).
A monumental and spectacular dome, the work of Rodrigo de Badajoz, was erected over the central section of the transept in the first third of the 16th century.
As outstanding spaces we must mention the main chapel, the chapel of Santo Cristo, the Pórtico del Paraíso and the Cathedral Museum.
However, the entire cathedral deserves a walk, starting with the ambulatory, which consists of several chapels, among which we must highlight the one of the Assumption or the Argiz, which inside houses the chapel of the Christ of the Forsaken (Romanesque image c 1200); or the north side, the chapel of the Virgen de las Nieves (16th century).
Outside we can also stop at each cardinal point. The North door was reformed at the end of the XV century after the attack of the Count of Benavente. The west door (Praza de San Martiño) is in theory the main one, but until the end of the 20th century it lacked an access staircase. For this reason it still preserves the original façade with additions from the 16th century. It is flanked by the bell tower and the unfinished San Martiño tower.
The South door (Praza do Trigo, access point to the cathedral) also retains the original appearance, even with defensive elements, only broken by the addition of the clock tower (16th century).
And finally, it also deserves to stop in the east to admire the views of the apse.
Here you can meet her: Ourense cathedral
Lugo cathedral
Also in the 12th century the cathedral of Santa María de Lugo originated. Although today this Romanesque style is mixed with later reforms, both Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical. In other words, a building that by itself serves as a walk through the history of art in the Galician community.
Lugo, a city that offers you unique monuments such as its exceptional Roman walls, but also others as unknown as interesting. That is the case of its cathedral.
Here you can meet her: Lugo Cathedral
Mondoñedo cathedral
The origin of it must be found in the nearby Basilica of San Martiño, which after all is considered the first cathedral in Spain. However, that headquarters was moved to the town of Mondoñedo in the 12th century, more to the refuge of possible invasions that reached these lands of Lugo by sea.
The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, declared a National Monument in 1902, began to be built in 1219 and was consecrated by Bishop Martín in 1248. The transept and sacristy were carried out later in the Gothic style. Among the ss. XVI and XVII the ambulatory was opened to obtain greater amplitude and the lateral naves were prolonged, and in the XVIII an important modification was made to the façade with the construction of two three-bodied towers topped with domes and an additional section was added to each side of the transept, making it an amalgam temple of various architectural styles. With a rectangular floor plan, it consists of three naves, a transept, a main chapel, a rectangular ambulatory and a cloister, made of granite masonry and covered with slate. Facade with the original Romanesque doorway of two archivolts and six columns, a central pointed rosette and two baroque towers on each side, with the figure of San Rosendo Obispo (patron of Mondoñedo) on the top. Interior: main rococo altarpiece, wall paintings, choir, organs and cloister. Also from inside, at the bottom of the right nave, you can access the Cateralicio and Diocesan Museum.
Here you can meet her: Mondoñedo Cathedral
+ Info: Turismo.gal
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