This year you have decided to visit some of the Gothic cathedrals and when booking your
HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN you have chosen the city of Avail, which is home to the oldest Spanish Gothic cathedral. When construction originally began the design adopted was that of Romanesque but this style was abandoned when the project was taken over by Fruchel, a master architect who was the first to build a Gothic cathedral in Spain. When they built the cathedral it was at the time more than anything a strong fortress or castle joined to the pre-existing medieval walls of the city. This connection to the cities walls in turn would form part of the city's defensive fortification. The part that interconnected with the citys walls was the apse or cimorro. All this took place shortly after the reconquest in 1095 hence the Romanesque style.
When you stand back and look at the cathedral you can appreciate its appearance of a castle. The battlements and walkways for the sentry that are part of the original plan it looks like what it was built for not just religious services. Proof of this lies in the fact that the castle served as a place of protection in the 12th century for the young Alfonso IX until he became King.
When the cathedral was built they installed two doors: the main door and one for the Apostles to one side. To give it more of an appearance of a castle, two towers were built: one either side of the main door but one was left unfinished. Originally it didn't have a choir or cloister but they were added later in the 16th century. Make sure you visit the main chapel for here is a magnificent altarpiece designed by Vasco de la Zarza along with paintings by the well known Berruguete and Juan de Borgona. But the piece-de-resistance is the sepulchre of El Tostado completed in alabaster located in the ambulatory; it represents the culmination of Vasco de la Zaraza's works.
For the most part the parts of the cathedral that you are able to visit today were built in the 12th to the 14th centuries. Due to the lengthy building period the style changed from Romanesque to Gothic. The best place to see this transition is in the interior. This transition is obvious if you look at the red and white stone work from the Romanesque period and the pure white stone was used in the Gothic time. Also take note of the missing tower that was never completed: it makes the facade on the western wall look lopsided.
When you arrive at your
HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN pick up a guide book and read up on this cathedral before you visit this place. There are little things that are not mentioned but you can pick them up such as the interior is bright compared to other Gothic styles. The Almudena Cathedral is more modern and at the same time modest when you compare it to most Spanish cathedrals. Some say the Almudena Cathedral is lacking in merit and historical value but we will let you be the judge of this after your visit to this cathedral. Its beauty and its history is all there for you to see and feel.
