Palencia Cathedral

Palencia Cathedral
Catedral de San Antolín en Palencia

Palencia Cathedral
Basic information
Location Palencia, Spain
Affiliation Catholic Church
Architectural description
Architectural type church
General contractor Siglo XIV - Siglo XVI

Palencia Cathedral (Catedral de san Antolín) is situated in Palencia, Spain. It is dedicated to Saint Antoninus of Pamiers.

The cathedral was built from 1321 to 1504 stands over a low vaulted Visigothic crypt (the Crypt of San Antolín).

Inside cathedral
Apse of the cathedral

It is a large Gothic building, popularly dubbed as "The unknown beauty" because not as well known as other Spanish cathedrals, though, it is a valuable building which has in its interior a large number of works of art of great value. Its more than 130 metres long, 42 metres high and 50 metres wide at the centre, making it one of the largest cathedrals in Spain and Europe. Just by way of comparison, the internal length of the Cathedral of Reims, reaches 138m, in turn, the height of the central nave, reaches 33m in Notre Dame de Paris; Reims 38m, 42m in Notre-Dame d'Amiens and 48m in Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals.

Its exterior solid, simple and austere does not reflect the grandeur of its interior, with more than twenty chapels of great artistic and historical interest. The most recognizable on the outside, is the tower, slim but a little rough, considering your Gothic style. Recent studies and excavations show that it was a military tower, and after serving this function were added to their pinnacles and cattail as the sole decoration.

The Cathedral's museum contains a number of important works of art, including a retablo of twelve panels by Juan de Flandes, court painter to Queen Isabella I of Castile and El Greco's St. Sebastian" (1576–79).

See also

Bibliography

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Coordinates: 42°0′40″N 4°32′13″W / 42.01111°N 4.53694°W / 42.01111; -4.53694

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