New Cathedral, Salamanca

The new cathedral of Salamanca ( Catedral Nueva de Santa María del asedio ), together with the adjacent smaller old cathedral, the Episcopal Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salamanca. The basilica was built in forms of Nachgotik and Renaissance is part of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Salamanca.

History

In the centuries after the Reconquista, the population and the prosperity of the Salamanca region grew. The old Romanesque Cathedral eventually no longer met the size and representation claims of bishop, university and city. 1513 began with strong participation of the Catholic Kings, the construction of the new scale to enormous dimensions with double length, width and height Episcopal Church just north alongside the old. The northern transept of the old church was demolished it. The solemn consecration of the new cathedral took place after a long and changeable building history until 1733 instead. At the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the central dome and the bell tower collapsed. Until 1762, the reconstruction was complete.

Architecture

The cathedral has a rectangular plan, which is divided in length into five Longhouse yokes, the transept, choir three yokes and a chapel series, in width three ships and two rows of chapels. Nave and transept projecting cruciform beyond the half-height side aisles and quarterly high rows of chapels. At the southwest corner of the bell tower closes at, the same time is part of the west wing of the old cathedral. Over the crossing is on a round drum a dome with a lantern.

Dome and bell tower are shaped by the Renaissance and Baroque, while the base with arches, columns, beams and buttresses still Gothic models follows.

Inside, the nave is divided into nave and choir through half of high boundary walls.

Equipment

The rich decoration of the church interior and the 20 chapels is mostly Baroque. It is noteworthy addition to the many figures altars the choir stalls.