La Seo Cathedral

It is known that in ancient times the site of the cathedral hosted the Caesar Augusta forum ^[2] (currently the forum museum is located under de la Ceo square). When Zaragoza was conquered by the Moors in the 8th century , the main city mosque of typhus was built on the site of the forums. The Saragusta al-Baida Mosque (the city was so renamed, Spanish: Saraqusta al Baida ) is considered one of the oldest in Al-Andalusia , it was completed twice (in the 9th and 11th centuries), and its entrance was located at the same place as the entrance to the modern cathedral . During the 1998 restoration , some elements of this ancient mosque (fragments of the outer wall of the minaret , floor and mihrab ) were discovered ^[3] .

In May 1118, King of Aragon Alfonso I the Warrior launched a siege of Zaragoza , which ended on December 18 of that year, and the city again came under Christian control. Over the next year, the local Muslim population was obliged to leave the city, and the mosque was closed and reconstructed. On October 4, 1121, its former building was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Savior ( Spanish: San Salvador ).

In 1140, the construction of the cathedral began on the site of a dilapidated church. The new temple was stone, in the late Romanesque style , like a basilica with three naves , decorated with semicircular apses . According to archival data, a refectory , maternity hospital and two monasteries were provided at the temple. From this cathedral, two Roman apse and several sculptures in the altar part have survived to the present day ^[3] .

From 1204 until the beginning of the 15th century, the coronation of all Aragonese rulers was carried out in the new cathedral (after the king they took only the oath ), as well as the rites of baptism , weddings and funeral services for members of the royal family. When in 1318 the pulpit of Zaragoza, which until then was the bishopric of Sufraganism of the archdiocese of Tarragona , received the status of archdiocese-metropolis ( bull Romanus Pontifex of Pope John XII of July 18, 1318 ), the Cathedral of La Seo became the main cathedral of the archdiocese . In 1346, the restructuring of the cathedral began: for additional illumination of the altar part a dome in the Mudejar style was erected. In 1360, on the orders of Archbishop , the entrance facade was constructed in the same style from the side of Pabostria street ( la Pabostría ) and the chapel of Archangel Michael (the so-called la Parroquieta - Parroquieta) was added. At the same time, elements of the Gothic style appeared in the cathedral architecture: the current central naves with stained-glass windows ^[3] .

At the beginning of the 15th century, the dome collapsed and, on the orders of the antipope Benedict XIII , the next reconstruction of the cathedral began: the Roman apse was raised, two towers were added on the sides of them and a new dome was built, resembling the shape of a papal tiara . In 1686, the dilapidated bell tower in the Mudejar style was dismantled, on the site of which the construction of a new Italian-Baroque style began in 1703 according to the project of architect ^{[1] [3] [4]} . In the same style, but with elements of classicism, the facade was updated in the 18th century. The last reconstruction of the cathedral was started in 1975 and lasted 23 years. On November 11, 1998, La Seo Cathedral was inaugurated by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I and his wife Sofia ^[3] .

Exterior

ATCurrently, the cathedral is a church consisting of five naves and six spans, covered with rib arches . The naves are supported by buttresses , which in the late Gothic style are covered by walls and form internal chapels. The middle cross is crowned with a two-level dome (the lower level has the shape of a rectangle , the upper - an octagon ), combining the styles of Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance (ornament). Vault ribs stretching from each of the corners of the upper level form an octagonal star. In the niches of the dome drum are statues of Aragonese saints.

The bell tower in the Roman Baroque style is a four-story tower with a height of 90 meters . The project was developed by Italian architect in 1683 (which is noteworthy, Contini has never been to Zaragoza, so he did not see the final version of the bell tower), construction began in 1703. In 1787, a clock was installed on the second floor of the tower. The first floor of the tower is stone, the rest is brick. Sculptures (decorating the clock and the facade), ornament, balustrade and other elements are made of limestone ^[4] .

The ensemble of the cathedral is completed by the gallery and the Rector’s House, which is located on the other side of the street, near the entrance of St. Bartholomew . In 1293, it was decided to build a gallery corridor connecting the prior house adjacent to the cathedral and the abbot house. In 1587, an observation deck appeared in the gallery with three large windows in the Plateresque - Mudejar style, overlooking St. Bruno Square ( Plaza de San Bruno ). Subsequently, the gallery was decorated with clay moldings, reminiscent of the decoration of the doors and windows of the palace of Alhaferia .

On the north side of the cathedral there are two apses, preserved from the 12th century Romanesque cathedral and the outer wall of the funeral chapel of St. Michael (the so-called Parroquieta) in the Mudejar style (although the interior of the chapel is presented in the Gothic style), where Archbishop buried .

Interior

The Gothic style of the interior of La Seo is represented by the main altar and choir , created in the XV century. An altar of colored alabaster 16 meters high and 10 meters wide is considered the main masterpiece of late European Gothic. The choir, located in the center of the cathedral, is a space with 117 stone seats. In the XVIII century, the choir was decorated with a gilded bronze lattice with sculptures of Jesus , the apostles Peter and Paul ^[3] . In the Mudejar style, the apse, dome, outer wall and roof of the funeral chapel of St. Michael are made.

The sacristy , to which the Mudejar-style door with Renaissance elements leads, contains paintings by artists of the Valencian and Aragonese schools of the 17th and 18th centuries. There is also a reliquary , the doors of which are painted by , a teacher of Francisco Goya , and created by a jeweler Pedro Lamaison between 1537 and 1541, a gift-guard, which was used to work on 218 kilograms of silver ^[3] .

The Capitul Hall created in 1932. This is one of the largest collections in the world ^[3] , where sixty tapestries are presented from the 15th to the 18th centuries, which allows us to trace the stages of the development of tapestry art ^[5] .

Altogether, 28 chapels are located in La Seo, including:

• Chapel of the , located in the left apse. The wooden baroque altar nastava retablo of 1647 is painted with scenes from the life of the Virgin (artist Husepe Martinez ). On the floor are several tombstones of the archbishops of Zaragoza from the 16th to 17th centuries.
• Apostles Peter and Paul , the first mention of which is dated 1403. The altar painting depicts the scene of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary , the wooden altar nastava of the mid-18th century is decorated with relief images of scenes from the life of the apostles. In the XVIII century, the chapel was reduced (reduced) to build the sacristy .
• St. Pedro Arbuez , made in the style of isabelino . The upper part of the chapel was painted by in 1655 with scenes from the life of Arbuez. In the center, under a canopy ( ciborium ), supported by four black marble columns crowned with figures of virtue , is the tomb of the saint, which was transferred to La Seo in 1664 on the occasion of beatification .
• St. Augustine , created between 1720 and 1722. The altar in the Plateresque style was built for the chapel of St. James in 1521 by the sculptors and . Scenes from the life of the Virgin (probably made by Yol) are presented in the five lower niches of the edifices: Annunciation , Adoration of the Magi , Pentecost and Assumption . In the center there is a niche with the figure of Augustine (made in 1722 instead of the old one, which was transferred to the chapel of Jacob), on the sides of the figure of the Apostle Bartholomew (Yoli) and Ambrosius Mediolansky (Morlanes). In the next row is the scene of the Baptism of Christ (Morlanes) and St. Joachim with little Virgin Mary in her arms, in the center is a medallion with the Virgin and Child. The altar dawns a hug scene at the Golden Gate.
• Domingito de Valais , created by the merger of the chapels of the Holy Spirit and Corpus Christi in 1671. Nastava of plaster and gilded wood on a marble pedestal was created in 1700 in the style of Churrigeresco . The main (dominant) element of the mentoring is the sculpture of the crucified Domingito in the clothes of the church choir , on the sides of it are the figures of Francis Xavier and Ignatius de Loyola . Crowns the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe .
• The chapel of the archangels Michael , Gabriel and Raphael , also just the chapel of San Miguel (St. Michael) was built on October 13, 1569. The construction was sponsored by the Zaragoza merchant , who wanted to set up his funeral chapel ^[3] . However, from his sarcophagus, only the lid and a bronze tablet with a cramped portrait of Saporta, which are exhibited in the Museum of the Capitula, have survived. The edifice, built in 1570, is made in the Plateresque style, with a black marble pedestal and a polychrome stucco decor that mimics more expensive materials. Alabaster figures of three apostles triumphing over demons are placed in the central niche. To their left are Francis of Assisi and Gabriel, to the right are Saints Jerome of Stridon and Guillermo of Burgos . The composition is crowned by Peter and Paul, behind which Golgotha is visible. On the sides are figures of Lucius of Syracuse and Apollonia of Alexandria .

• The Chapel of Helena of the Equal-to-the-Apostles , Our Lady of Carmel or the Holy Sacrament was transformed between 1637 and 1646 by order of Don Francisco Lignan. The chapel is made in the proto-baroque style (without unnecessary decorations). Most of the images belong to the Italian artist , such as scenes from the life of St. Helena, the crucifixion and removal of Jesus from the cross, the stigmata of St. Francis, Catherine of Siena , and others. The sculpture is led by the Our Lady of the Carmel XVIII century.
• The chapel of St. Valery , bishop and patron saint of Zaragoza, was established at the end of the XVII century. In the central part of the mentor is the figure of the head of the capital's council ( Spanish: Cabildo metropolitano ), on the sides of which the apostles Peter and Paul. The murals depict scenes from the life of the martyrs Valerius, his disciple Vincent and Lawrence of Rome . Two large paintings on the sides of the chapel depict the scene of the interrogation of Valery and Vincent by the emperor Diocletian and the scene of the arrival of the relics of St. Valery in Zaragoza in 1170.
• The chapel of the Virgin Mary Snezhnaya was prepared by Don Anna Manrique, Countess Punionrostro ( Spanish doña Ana Manrique, condesa de Puño-en-rostro ), as a funeral chapel for her brother, Archbishop , who died in 1615. The late Gothic style Nastav was subsequently supplemented by several paintings by , such as the founding of the Church of Our Lady of Winter on Esquiline Hill in Rome or Dominique de Val.
• St. Bernard , created by order of Archbishop as a family pantheon for the bishop and his mother, Donna Anna Gurrea. The central altar dedicated to St. Bernard was made by the sculptor ^[3] . Between the altar and the two mausoleums are statues of the kings of Aragon , from Juan I to Ferdinand Catholicos and Carlos I.
• The Chapel of St. Benedict was created by Archbishop Hernando for his servants and opened on August 4, 1557. In 1762, the chapel was renovated at the insistence of Baroness Sangarren , from which the original Renaissance altarpiece made by Heronym in 1552 was lost. At present, the chapel of St. Benedict has practically no decorative elements, as was the case in the very first chapels of the cathedral.
• The Chapel of St. Mark was transformed at the beginning of the 18th century into a monument to Great Thursday . Having set up in the Churrigeresco style, created in 1711, depicts scenes from the book " Seven Seals ", contains busts of John the Evangelist and the Virgin Mary, crowns the whole image of God the Father. In connection with the transformation, the altar itself was removed, and the monument is hidden by a curtain.
• Nativity of Christ . Founded July 27, 1584 hidalgo Jeronimo Ferrer Cerdan, as a family pantheon. After his death, work on the chapel was continued by his wife, Anna Clavero. The lower part of the walls of the chapel is covered with tiles made of . The mentoring was done by .
• Saints . It was founded in 1643 by the Aragonese inquisitor Don Mateo Virta de Vera, who intended to arrange a family pantheon in the chapel. Work was carried out until 1644. Over time, the chapel was inherited by the , and then by the dukes of Villahermos , who used the chapel for the same purpose. Paintings and paintings are made by Juan Galvan .
• St. Vincent of Zaragoza , founded in 1719. The baroque portal is decorated with floral motifs and angels. In front of the pilasters , large sculptures of saints George and Mauritius are installed. The images include Saints Vincent, Stephen the First Martyr and Laurentius of Rome . Above the baroque gilded altar stands a sculpture created by around 1760.
• St. James , rebuilt by Archbishop under the funeral chapel. As a result, elements of the old Renaissance chapel were eliminated, the new chapel was built in the Baroque style. The gypsum portal, mounted on a marble base and made in 1700, is the most impressive in the cathedral. The baroque canopy on four columns resembles the Bernini civorium in St. Peter's Basilica . The statue of the Apostle James rising above him is credited with the authorship of . Like the first altar (which is now in the chapel of St. Augustine ), it was made around 1521.

• Launchers of the altars of the Cathedral of La Seo
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  Virgin Mary Belaya

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  Peter and Paul

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  Augustine

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  Dominica de Valais

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  Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

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  Our Lady of Carmel

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  Valeria

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  Benedict

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  Christmas

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  Vincent

Since 1998, La Seo Cathedral, as a monument of architecture in the Mudejar style, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List ^[6] .

• Zaragoza / D.L. Lopatnikov // Romania - Saint-Jean-de-Luz. - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2015 .-- S. 409-410. - (The Big Russian Encyclopedia : [in 35 vols.] / Ch. Ed. Yu. S. Osipov ; 2004—2017, vol. 29). - ISBN 978-5-85270-366-8 .