Palencia Cathedral is situated in Palencia

Palencia

Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...

, 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 is dedicated to Saint Antoninus of Pamiers (San Antolín).

The cathedral was built from 1321 to 1504 stands over a low vaulted Visigothic crypt

Crypt

In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....

 (the Crypt of San Antolín). Its museum contains a number of important works of art, including a retablo

Retable

A retable is a framed altarpiece, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion table, on which are placed the cross, ceremonial candlesticks and other ornaments....

of twelve panels by Juan de Flandes

Juan de Flandes

Juan de Flandes was an Early Netherlandish painter who was active in Spain from 1496 to 1519; his actual name is unknown, although an inscription Juan Astrat on the back of one work suggests a name such as "Jan van der Staat"...

, court painter to Queen Isabella I of Castile

Isabella I of Castile

Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...

 and El Greco

El Greco

El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...

's St. Sebastian" (1576-79) in the Sacristy.
It is a Gothic building, popularly dubbed as "the unknown beauty" because not as well known as other Spanish cathedrals, though, is a great cathedral, which has in its interior, a large number of works of art of great value.
Its more than 130 meters long, 30 meters high and 50 meters wide at the center, making it one of the largest cathedrals in Spain and Europe. 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.

See also

• Diocese of Palencia