We were back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat with some of them as introduction to my sons and our dog Rex ! I rented a small house in a off the beaten path country town that was just perfect ! I like to continue the saga of our new road warrior experiences even if now with less in our family, This post is on my latest road warrior tour of wonderful sublime Spain. Therefore, let me tell you about the Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen (Nueva) of Salamanca !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The City of Salamanca is capital of the province of Salamanca located in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, and in the kingdom of Spain. In 1988, the Old City was declared a World Heritage for UNESCO, The City is located 109 km from Ávila, 121 km from Valladolid, 123 km from Portugal and 214 km from Madrid.
Salamanca has two cathedrals, the Vieja (old) of the 12C and of Romanesque style, and the Nueva (new), much larger, started in the 16C in Gothic style and concluded in the 18C. The place where both are together is known as Patio Chico and is one of the most charming corners of the city. The main tower of the New Cathedral was built on the bell tower of the Old Cathedral. It is still visible a crack originated by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Cathedral Vieja Plaza Juan XXIII, s / n and Catedral Nueva Calle Benedicto XVI.
The Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen or the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, popularly called New Cathedral or Catedral Nueva, The Cathedral is one of the last two Gothic -style cathedrals that are built in Spain. The new cathedral was built, continuing with the late Gothic of its origins, between the 16C and 18C, although at the end of the 16C the head was changed, designed with a gothic gyrola, by a flat and during the 18C broke in a striking way with the predominant style of the cathedral: a baroque dome on the spike and the upper bodies of the bell tower.
The much larger Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral) went up between 1513 and 1526 under the late-Gothic architect Juan Gil de Hontañón. Controversially, a 1992 restoration added an astronaut carving to the facade as a wink to the modern era see if you can spot it. Both cathedrals are part of the same complex, though they have different visiting hours and you need to enter the New to get to the Old. It is the headquarters of the Diocese of Salamanca. It is the highest cathedral in all of Spain, with 110 meters.
The triforio, typical of the constructions from the tardromanic, is replaced by two runs in the entire perimeter of the cathedral and two heights, which allows even more the lateral naves. The new cathedral has a plant with three naves and two more chapels-channels, which ended in 1520.
The Capilla Mayor or main chapel has a rectangular plant, covered by starry vault, the chapel lacks an altarpiece, when it is dismantled in 1743 on the sillery wall there is a canopy and fall of the crimson velvet on which an image of the Virgin of the Assumption of 1624 appears, on the entablature that crowns the presbytery walls appear the image of religion, angels and parents of the Church from the missing altarpiece. The marble tabernacle and Jaspes of 1750 and the silver polls with the remains of San Juan de Sahagún and Santo Tomás de Villanueva stands out. The Choir was built between 1730 and 1740, in two bodies, high and bass, it is the work of several artists. The fence that closes the choir and the one that closes the main chapel, The New Cathedral has two organs , the organ of the epistle, of Renaissance style. Built in the 16C ,and the organ of the Gospel, of Baroque style. Built in 1744.
The chapels are many as you can read, so will just name them for reference as follows: Chapel of San Clemente ,Chapel of Diego de Neyla ,Capilla de Santiago and Santa Teresa or Almansa, Capilla de Ntra. Of the Truth ,Chapel of San Antonio , Altar of the Christ of the Redeemer Agony, Chapel of the Virgin of the Head , Chapel of the Virgin of Lourdes or San Tirso, Capilla de la Virgen del Pilar, Capilla de N.ª S.ª de la Soledad, Capilla del Cristo de las Batallas, Capilla de San José, Capilla de los Dolores or the Blessed Chapel of San Nicolás de Bari, Capilla de Jesús Nazareno, Capilla of the Virgen del Disagravio , Chapel of the Virgen de Morales or San Bartolomé, Chapel of the President , the Gold Chapel or all the Saints, and Capilla de San Lorenzo.
Some anecdotes to tell : At the puerta de Ramos ,north side, in front of the Anaya Palace, there is an anachronistic figure of an astronaut sculpted on its left flank. On the occasion of welcoming Salamanca the exposure of the ages of man in 1993, it was decided to restore that door, very deteriorated by the passage of time. Under the astronaut there is a lynx, on his right a bull, under the bull you see a dragon with a three -ball ice cream that is smiling. More to the right, next to the door, there are three figures: a river crab, a stork and a hare that represent, respectively, water, sky and earth in Salamanca.
The official Catedral Nueva of Salamanca : https://catedralsalamanca.org/catedral-nueva/
The Catedral of Salamanca tour of the towers: https://ieronimus.es/
The City of Salamanca on its history : https://aytosalamanca.es/w/historia
The Salamanca tourist office on its heritage: https://salamanca.es/en/essential-salamanca/culture-and-cultural-heritage/monuments
The Castilla y Léon regional tourist office on the Catedrals Nueva and Vieja: https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/heritage-culture/cathedrals-salamanca
The Unesco world heritage site on old town Salamanca: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/381/
There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, Do not know when we will be back, we sure will have this trip in our hearts forever, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen (Nueva) of Salamanca !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 