Cathedrals in Spain

A cathedral is a church with a bishop's seat. It is the main church of a diocese ( church administrative district). If a diocese has several possible Episcopal churches, the names of these Konkathedralen.

In Spain, Cathedral is a Catholic church that serves the bishop of a diocese as a seat ( " cathedra "). Cathedrals are an important part of Spanish heritage and have a far-reaching historical, religious and architectural significance. The Spanish National Plan for Cathedrals ( Plan de Catedrales ) listed ninety-one churches, among which are cathedrals, Konkathedralen, former cathedrals and a significant church, the Sagrada Familia find.

These churches have great proportions and have been built at great cost of materials and labor. As a rule, construction activity per building extended over several centuries, so that the result is a mixture of several eras and styles. The buildings are managed by the chapter and funded by the diocese, though often the bishop himself, the king or believers have donated money for the completion of a cathedral building, as it is still the case today at the Sagrada Familia. This has led to the largest and most beautiful cathedrals in the then most important and richest cities are located.

The building was always started at the apse; then an altar was consecrated to celebrate Mass can. After that, the transept and the nave were completed. In later construction kept the architectural styles of the Baroque and Classicism collection: the architect, whose job it was to secure a certain uniformity of the building, often had to completely new facilities or build facades in order to gain some artistic freedom.

Visigothic kingdom

The Christian faith summarized in Hispania very early Foot: already one of Paul's letters mentioned the desire of Paul of Tarsus, to preach in Hispania. Around the year 300, the Christian church had been organized specify how the implementation of the Synod of Elvira (ca. 306) proves. Later, the conquests of Visigoths should then force the juxtaposition of Arianism and Trinitarian doctrine, leading up to the Councils of Toledo and the conversion of King Rekkareds I. to Catholicism in 587 had valid.

Throughout this time, of course also the necessary ecclesiastical infrastructure was created, especially churches and cathedrals; of these have, however, only remnants and ruins preserved to this day, as the building materials were reused later for other church buildings and mosques. Examples of buildings that were constructed from these buildings, are the Romanesque cathedral of Barcelona and the Mezquita of Cordoba. Even the Cathedral of Palencia leads back their origin to the crypt of San Antolin, which was built in the second half of the 7th century.