Orihuela Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Orihuela Cathedral is a church of Orihuela
, Valencian Community
, southern Spain
. It was built above a pre-existing Muslim mosque as a simple parish church, and was later converted into a main church by order of King Alfonso X of Castile
in 1281. In 1413, pope Benedict XIII
elevated it to the rank of collegiate, until it become a cathedral in 1510.
The church was begun in the late 13th century in Catalan-Gothic
style, with a Latin cross plan including a nave and two aisles, an ambulatory and chapels within buttress
es. The crossing, the late-Gothic great chapel, and the ambulatory are 15th century-early 16th century additions, including the removal of two pillars of the nave to obtain a taller vault at the crossing, after a design by Pere Compte
.
The interior receives little light due to the small size of the windows. There are three entrances: the Puerta de las Cardenas (Portal of the Chains, 14th century) is in Islamic style, the Puerta de Loreto (mid-15th century) is Gothic, and Gate of the Annunciation (at the north, built in 1588 by Juan Inglés), in Renaissance-style triumphal arch-shape. Other Renaissance elements include the stalls and the grills of the choir, and the cloister (originally from 1377, but rebuilt until 1560). The oldest part is the bell tower, which dates from late 12th-mid 14th centuries. It has four floors covered by groin vault
s.
Annexed to the church is a museum of Sacred Art, housing works by Diego Velázquez
(Temptation of St. Thomas
), Vicente López Portaña, José de Ribera, Juan de Juanes, Francisco Salzillo
and other artists.
The large organ is from the Baroque renovation, and was realized in 1733 by Valencian craftsmen.
Orihuela
Orihuela is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spain. The city of Orihuela had a population of 32,472 inhabitants in the beginning of 2006...
, Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was built above a pre-existing Muslim mosque as a simple parish church, and was later converted into a main church by order of King Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
in 1281. In 1413, pope Benedict XIII
Benedict XIII
Benedict XIII may refer to:*Pope Benedict XIII , Pope from 1724–1730*Antipope Benedict XIII , based in Avignon, France in opposition to the Pope in Rome...
elevated it to the rank of collegiate, until it become a cathedral in 1510.
The church was begun in the late 13th century in Catalan-Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, with a Latin cross plan including a nave and two aisles, an ambulatory and chapels within buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. The crossing, the late-Gothic great chapel, and the ambulatory are 15th century-early 16th century additions, including the removal of two pillars of the nave to obtain a taller vault at the crossing, after a design by Pere Compte
Pere Compte
Pere Compte was a Spanish Catalan architect from Girona. He was one of the main Gothic architects of the Aragonese court of the period, and in particular in Valencia, where he directed the construction of numerous palaces.Compte's works include the Convent of St...
.
The interior receives little light due to the small size of the windows. There are three entrances: the Puerta de las Cardenas (Portal of the Chains, 14th century) is in Islamic style, the Puerta de Loreto (mid-15th century) is Gothic, and Gate of the Annunciation (at the north, built in 1588 by Juan Inglés), in Renaissance-style triumphal arch-shape. Other Renaissance elements include the stalls and the grills of the choir, and the cloister (originally from 1377, but rebuilt until 1560). The oldest part is the bell tower, which dates from late 12th-mid 14th centuries. It has four floors covered by groin vault
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
s.
Annexed to the church is a museum of Sacred Art, housing works by Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
(Temptation of St. Thomas
Temptation of St. Thomas (Velázquez)
The Temptation of St. Thomas is a painting by the Spanish Baroque painter Diego Velázquez, executed in 1632 and housed in the Museum of Sacred Art of Orihuela Cathedral, southern Spain....
), Vicente López Portaña, José de Ribera, Juan de Juanes, Francisco Salzillo
Francisco Salzillo
Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz was a Spanish sculptor. He is the most representative Spanish image-maker of the 18th century and one of greatest of the Baroque. Francisco Salzillo worked exclusively on religious themes, and almost always in polychromed wood...
and other artists.
The large organ is from the Baroque renovation, and was realized in 1733 by Valencian craftsmen.