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Astorga Cathedral

Coordinates: 42°27′28″N 6°03′25″W / 42.45778°N 6.05694°W / 42.45778; -6.05694
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Astorga Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary
Catedral de Santa María
West façade in 2021.
Map
42°27′28″N 6°03′25″W / 42.45778°N 6.05694°W / 42.45778; -6.05694
LocationAstorga
AddressPlaza de la Catedral
CountrySpain
DenominationCatholic
Websitecatedralastorga.com
History
StatusCathedral
DedicationMary, mother of Jesus
Dedicated1069[1]
Architecture
Architect(s)Juan de Colonia, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón
StyleLate Gothic (interior), Baroque (west façade)
Groundbreaking1471
Administration
MetropolisOviedo
DioceseAstorga
Clergy
Bishop(s)Jesús Fernández González
TypeNon-movable
CriteriaMonument
Designated3 June 1931
Reference no.RI-51-0000663

The Cathedral of Saint Mary (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María) is a Roman Catholic church in Astorga, Spain. It was declared a national monument in 1931.

The gothic edifice was begun in 1471, within the same walls of its Romanesque predecessors from the 11th-13th centuries. The construction lasted until the 18th century, thus to its original Gothic style appearance were added elements from later styles, such as the Neo-Classicist cloister (18th century), the Baroque towers, capitals and the façade, and the Renaissance portico. With a rectangular layout, with apsidal chapels, very clear and bright, it has an architectural closeness to German Gothic.

Cathedral interior.
Cathedral altarpiece.

The interior houses numerous artworks, such as the Flemish-Spanish retablo of St. Michael, and the large high altar by Gaspar Becerra (1558), considered a masterwork of the Spanish Renaissance sculpture. Other sculptures include the "Purísima" by Gregorio Fernández (1626), "St. John the Baptist and St. Jerome" by Mateo del Prado (17th century) and the "Christ of the Waters" (14th century).

Next to the church is the Neo-medieval Episcopal Palace, designed by Antoni Gaudí.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ Reilly, Bernard (1989). El reino de León y Castilla bajo el rey Alfonso VI (1065-1109) [The Kingdom of León and Castile under King Alfonso VI (1065-1109)] (in Spanish). Toledo: Publicaciones del Instituto de Investigaciones y Estudios Toledanos. ISBN 8487103030.
  2. ^ José López-Calo (2001). "González Barrón, Ramón". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11451.
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