Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia.
I am writing this when the day is not yet done. In fact, local time is 15:45, but we have done lots.
This is our last full day in the city, and my main aim today was go visit the Cathedral. I would have gone yesterday, but I was so hot and bothered and there was too many people.
So, put it off to today.
We were awake before seven, but lay in bed listening to the amazing silence that we enjoy here, despite being in a city. Each city block in this area looks onto a flattened area, not sure that the building is that our room looks onto, but it does mean we are isolated from the sound of the main roads nearby.
Which is nice.
We get up, shower and get dressed before going down for breakfast, which we time perfectly just before the stampede of the other guests. We have a prized table beside the window, overlooking the main road which had light traffic, for now.
Danes complain that the UK gets the best bacon and ruins it. In which case they should see what the Spanish do with bacon. Anyway, I had a small bacon roll, which did OK, but better was the three coffees which put a spring into my step.
I hoped.
Churches seems to open at half ten after the half nine Mass, meaning we had 90 minutes to walk the mile into the city, which we now know like we're locals.
My feet ache, 19,000 steps on Thursday meant that they had fewer miles in the tank this day. So, we ambled into the city centre, then took up a place looking at the porch to see when a queue might form. We had 45 minutes to wait.
We sat in the shade, and once I saw more people milling around outside the cathedral, we went over and took front place in the queue, with just 15 minutes until it opened.
I was indeed the first inside, once we paid the €9 entry fee, and so I was able to get shots with few people in them.
The Cathedral is home to the Holy Grain/Chalice. Or the one with the longest provenance, dating back to circa 2nd century AD. It's not well signposted, and seems to be in the old Chapterhouse, and is set in the middle of a dozen fine carvings. I found it by going into the museum, which exits into the Chapel.
The rest of the Cathedral is splendid, though not with the Baroque details of St Nicholas, but I go round to most of the fabulous fixtures, icons, statues and paintings, though we did not take up the offer to climb the 208 steps up the tower.
Not with these legs.
We went back outside, sat some more, and pondered what to do with the rest of the day.
Jools wanted to go swimming. So, we walk back to the hotel with the aim of picking up her costume and heading out after a half hour lay down. All was going well, but though of ice cream and/or breakfast came to mind.
A café door was open, so we went in for a drink of orange juice. But that turned into a plate of Iberian ham and fresh bread. The ham, was sensational, served with a tomato pesto, and went down very well indeed. So satisfied I was tempted to have a coffee too.
Then back to the hotel for a shave, as I could not find the razor I got out, so we had to search out a chemist to buy one. So, in ten minutes, I was shorn and lovely, then smothered in after shave.
Outside, we flagged down a taxi, and Jools explained we wanted to go to the beach. And the driver lurched off, at warp factor eight.
A twenty minute drive took us the other side of the port and marina, there was a wide beach, with a promenade and bars, restaurants.
I sat on the sea wall, while Jools went to the shore to have her swim. I was entertained by a guy with a guitar and his girlfriend on sax, murdering holiday favourites, turning every genre into muzak.
Once Jools had come back and changed into t shirt and shorts, we walk down the row of places to eat and were tempted into the second place, which offered three courses for €16. Baked cheese, followed by pork in a pepper sauce and rounded off with a coffee.
Not bad.
Not great either. But it'll do.
We walked to the main road, flagged a cab down to take us back to the hotel.
------------------------------------------------
Valencia Cathedral, at greater length the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia (Spanish: Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia, Valencian: Església Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de l'Assumpció de la Mare de Déu de València), also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church in Valencia, Spain.
The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by the first bishop of Valencia after the Reconquista, Pere d'Albalat, Archbishop of Tarragona, and was dedicated to Saint Mary by order of James I the Conqueror. It was built over the site of the former Visigothic cathedral, which under the Moors had been turned into a mosque. Valencian Gothic is the predominant architectural style of the cathedral, although it also contains Romanesque, French Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.
The cathedral contains numerous 15th-century paintings, some by local artists (such as Jacomart), others by artists from Rome engaged by the Valencian Pope Alexander VI who, when still a cardinal, made the request to elevate the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan see, a category granted by Pope Innocent VIII in 1492.
A purported Holy Chalice, believed by many to be the true Holy Grail, is kept in one of the cathedral's chapels.[1]
Most of Valencia Cathedral was built between the 13th century and the 15th century, and this style was mainly Gothic. However, its construction went on for centuries.[2] As a consequence there is a mixture of artistic styles, ranging from the early Romanesque, Valencian Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.
Excavations of Almoina Archaeological Centre have unearthed the remains of the ancient Visigothic cathedral, which later became a mosque.[3] There is documentary evidence that some decades after the Christian conquest of the city (1238), the mosque-cathedral remained standing, even with the Koranic inscriptions on the walls, until 22 June 1262, when the then bishop Andreu d'Albalat [4] resolved to knock it down and build a new cathedral in its place according to the plans of the architect Arnau Vidal.[5] Hypothetically, the ancient Muslim mosque would correspond with the current transept of the cathedral, the Apostles' gate would be the entrance to the mosque and the Almoina ("alms") gate the mihrab.[6]
Stones from neighboring quarries in Burjassot and Godella were used to build the cathedral, but also from other more distant quarries such as those in Benidorm and Xàbia which came by boat.
Some reasons for the simplicity and sobriety of Valencia Cathedral are that it was built quickly to mark the Christian territory against the Muslims, and that it was not a work by a king, but by the local bourgeoisie
Although there are several styles of construction, this cathedral is basically a Gothic building, a cruciform plan with transepts north and south, and a crossing covered by an octagonal tower (cimbori), with an ambulatory and a polygonal apse.
This cathedral was begun at the end of the 13th century (1270–1300) at the same time as the mosque was being demolished. The first part to be finished was the ambulatory with its eight radiating chapels, and the Almoina Romanesque gate.
Dome of the Cathedral of Valencia.
Bell Tower, Miguelete Tower
"Door of the Irons"
Between 1300 and 1350 the crossing was finished and its west side went up as far as the Baroque Apostles' Gate. Three out of the four sections of the naves and transepts were also built. The crossing tower (cimbori or eight-sided dome) was also begun.
The old chapter house (today Holy Grail Chapel, 1356–1369), where the canons met to discuss internal affairs, and the Miguelete Tower, known as El Miguelete in Castilian Spanish or Torre del Micalet in the Valencian language, were initially separate from the rest of the church, but in 1459 the architects Francesc Baldomar and Pere Compte expanded the nave and transepts in a further section, known as Arcada Nova, and finally joined both the chapter house and the Micalet with the rest of the cathedral, thereby attaining 94 metres (308 feet) in length and 53.65 metres (176.0 feet) in width.
The centuries of the Renaissance (15th-16th centuries) had little influence on the architecture of the cathedral but much more on its pictorial decoration, such as the one at the high altar, and sculptural decoration, such as the one in the Resurrection chapel.
During the Baroque period, the German Konrad Rudolf designed in 1703 the main door of the cathedral, known as the Iron gate due to the cast-iron fence that surrounds it. Because of the War of the Spanish Succession he could not finish it, and this task fell mainly to the sculptors Francisco Vergara and Ignacio Vergara. Its concave shape, which causes a unique and studied perspective effect, was distorted during the 20th century because of the demolition of some adjacent buildings (in what was formerly Saragossa Street) to expand the square (Plaza de la Reina).
A project to renew the building was launched during the last third of the 18th century, whose intention was to give a uniform neoclassical appearance to the church, different from the original Gothic style that was then considered a vulgar work in comparison. Works started in 1774, directed by the architect Antoni Gilabert Fornés. The reshuffle affected both constructive and ornamental elements: the pinnacles were removed outside, and the Gothic structure was masked by stucco and other pseudo-classical elements.
In 1931 the church was declared a historic and artistic landmark by the Spanish government, but during the Spanish Civil War it was burned, which meant that it lost part of its decorative elements. The choir, located in the central part, was dismantled in 1940 and moved to the bottom of the high altar. The musical organs, which had suffered major damage during the war, were never rebuilt.
Also in 1970, the Houses of Canons, a building attached to the chapels facing Micalet street, were demolished to give the cathedral back its previous appearance, and at the same time elements of little or no architectural value were removed.
The task of removing the Neoclassical elements in order to recover the original Gothic aspect was undertaken in 1972. The only Neoclassical elements spared were most of the ambulatory chapels, and some isolated elements such as the sculptures at the base of the dome (cimbori).
After several restorations, the cathedral is currently in a good state of preservation, especially after the exhibition of 1999 named The Image’s Light.[8] It was once again declared a cultural landmark, this time by the regional Valencian government (Consell de la Generalitat Valenciana).
A purported Holy Chalice, believed by many to be the true Holy Grail,[9] is revered in one of the cathedral's chapels. It has been the official chalice for many popes, and has been used by many others, most recently by Pope Benedict XVI, on July 9, 2006.[10] This chalice with Arabic inscriptions dates from the 1st century, and was given to the cathedral by king Alfonso V of Aragon in 1436.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia_Cathedral
Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia.
I am writing this when the day is not yet done. In fact, local time is 15:45, but we have done lots.
This is our last full day in the city, and my main aim today was go visit the Cathedral. I would have gone yesterday, but I was so hot and bothered and there was too many people.
So, put it off to today.
We were awake before seven, but lay in bed listening to the amazing silence that we enjoy here, despite being in a city. Each city block in this area looks onto a flattened area, not sure that the building is that our room looks onto, but it does mean we are isolated from the sound of the main roads nearby.
Which is nice.
We get up, shower and get dressed before going down for breakfast, which we time perfectly just before the stampede of the other guests. We have a prized table beside the window, overlooking the main road which had light traffic, for now.
Danes complain that the UK gets the best bacon and ruins it. In which case they should see what the Spanish do with bacon. Anyway, I had a small bacon roll, which did OK, but better was the three coffees which put a spring into my step.
I hoped.
Churches seems to open at half ten after the half nine Mass, meaning we had 90 minutes to walk the mile into the city, which we now know like we're locals.
My feet ache, 19,000 steps on Thursday meant that they had fewer miles in the tank this day. So, we ambled into the city centre, then took up a place looking at the porch to see when a queue might form. We had 45 minutes to wait.
We sat in the shade, and once I saw more people milling around outside the cathedral, we went over and took front place in the queue, with just 15 minutes until it opened.
I was indeed the first inside, once we paid the €9 entry fee, and so I was able to get shots with few people in them.
The Cathedral is home to the Holy Grain/Chalice. Or the one with the longest provenance, dating back to circa 2nd century AD. It's not well signposted, and seems to be in the old Chapterhouse, and is set in the middle of a dozen fine carvings. I found it by going into the museum, which exits into the Chapel.
The rest of the Cathedral is splendid, though not with the Baroque details of St Nicholas, but I go round to most of the fabulous fixtures, icons, statues and paintings, though we did not take up the offer to climb the 208 steps up the tower.
Not with these legs.
We went back outside, sat some more, and pondered what to do with the rest of the day.
Jools wanted to go swimming. So, we walk back to the hotel with the aim of picking up her costume and heading out after a half hour lay down. All was going well, but though of ice cream and/or breakfast came to mind.
A café door was open, so we went in for a drink of orange juice. But that turned into a plate of Iberian ham and fresh bread. The ham, was sensational, served with a tomato pesto, and went down very well indeed. So satisfied I was tempted to have a coffee too.
Then back to the hotel for a shave, as I could not find the razor I got out, so we had to search out a chemist to buy one. So, in ten minutes, I was shorn and lovely, then smothered in after shave.
Outside, we flagged down a taxi, and Jools explained we wanted to go to the beach. And the driver lurched off, at warp factor eight.
A twenty minute drive took us the other side of the port and marina, there was a wide beach, with a promenade and bars, restaurants.
I sat on the sea wall, while Jools went to the shore to have her swim. I was entertained by a guy with a guitar and his girlfriend on sax, murdering holiday favourites, turning every genre into muzak.
Once Jools had come back and changed into t shirt and shorts, we walk down the row of places to eat and were tempted into the second place, which offered three courses for €16. Baked cheese, followed by pork in a pepper sauce and rounded off with a coffee.
Not bad.
Not great either. But it'll do.
We walked to the main road, flagged a cab down to take us back to the hotel.
------------------------------------------------
Valencia Cathedral, at greater length the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia (Spanish: Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia, Valencian: Església Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de l'Assumpció de la Mare de Déu de València), also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church in Valencia, Spain.
The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by the first bishop of Valencia after the Reconquista, Pere d'Albalat, Archbishop of Tarragona, and was dedicated to Saint Mary by order of James I the Conqueror. It was built over the site of the former Visigothic cathedral, which under the Moors had been turned into a mosque. Valencian Gothic is the predominant architectural style of the cathedral, although it also contains Romanesque, French Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.
The cathedral contains numerous 15th-century paintings, some by local artists (such as Jacomart), others by artists from Rome engaged by the Valencian Pope Alexander VI who, when still a cardinal, made the request to elevate the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan see, a category granted by Pope Innocent VIII in 1492.
A purported Holy Chalice, believed by many to be the true Holy Grail, is kept in one of the cathedral's chapels.[1]
Most of Valencia Cathedral was built between the 13th century and the 15th century, and this style was mainly Gothic. However, its construction went on for centuries.[2] As a consequence there is a mixture of artistic styles, ranging from the early Romanesque, Valencian Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.
Excavations of Almoina Archaeological Centre have unearthed the remains of the ancient Visigothic cathedral, which later became a mosque.[3] There is documentary evidence that some decades after the Christian conquest of the city (1238), the mosque-cathedral remained standing, even with the Koranic inscriptions on the walls, until 22 June 1262, when the then bishop Andreu d'Albalat [4] resolved to knock it down and build a new cathedral in its place according to the plans of the architect Arnau Vidal.[5] Hypothetically, the ancient Muslim mosque would correspond with the current transept of the cathedral, the Apostles' gate would be the entrance to the mosque and the Almoina ("alms") gate the mihrab.[6]
Stones from neighboring quarries in Burjassot and Godella were used to build the cathedral, but also from other more distant quarries such as those in Benidorm and Xàbia which came by boat.
Some reasons for the simplicity and sobriety of Valencia Cathedral are that it was built quickly to mark the Christian territory against the Muslims, and that it was not a work by a king, but by the local bourgeoisie
Although there are several styles of construction, this cathedral is basically a Gothic building, a cruciform plan with transepts north and south, and a crossing covered by an octagonal tower (cimbori), with an ambulatory and a polygonal apse.
This cathedral was begun at the end of the 13th century (1270–1300) at the same time as the mosque was being demolished. The first part to be finished was the ambulatory with its eight radiating chapels, and the Almoina Romanesque gate.
Dome of the Cathedral of Valencia.
Bell Tower, Miguelete Tower
"Door of the Irons"
Between 1300 and 1350 the crossing was finished and its west side went up as far as the Baroque Apostles' Gate. Three out of the four sections of the naves and transepts were also built. The crossing tower (cimbori or eight-sided dome) was also begun.
The old chapter house (today Holy Grail Chapel, 1356–1369), where the canons met to discuss internal affairs, and the Miguelete Tower, known as El Miguelete in Castilian Spanish or Torre del Micalet in the Valencian language, were initially separate from the rest of the church, but in 1459 the architects Francesc Baldomar and Pere Compte expanded the nave and transepts in a further section, known as Arcada Nova, and finally joined both the chapter house and the Micalet with the rest of the cathedral, thereby attaining 94 metres (308 feet) in length and 53.65 metres (176.0 feet) in width.
The centuries of the Renaissance (15th-16th centuries) had little influence on the architecture of the cathedral but much more on its pictorial decoration, such as the one at the high altar, and sculptural decoration, such as the one in the Resurrection chapel.
During the Baroque period, the German Konrad Rudolf designed in 1703 the main door of the cathedral, known as the Iron gate due to the cast-iron fence that surrounds it. Because of the War of the Spanish Succession he could not finish it, and this task fell mainly to the sculptors Francisco Vergara and Ignacio Vergara. Its concave shape, which causes a unique and studied perspective effect, was distorted during the 20th century because of the demolition of some adjacent buildings (in what was formerly Saragossa Street) to expand the square (Plaza de la Reina).
A project to renew the building was launched during the last third of the 18th century, whose intention was to give a uniform neoclassical appearance to the church, different from the original Gothic style that was then considered a vulgar work in comparison. Works started in 1774, directed by the architect Antoni Gilabert Fornés. The reshuffle affected both constructive and ornamental elements: the pinnacles were removed outside, and the Gothic structure was masked by stucco and other pseudo-classical elements.
In 1931 the church was declared a historic and artistic landmark by the Spanish government, but during the Spanish Civil War it was burned, which meant that it lost part of its decorative elements. The choir, located in the central part, was dismantled in 1940 and moved to the bottom of the high altar. The musical organs, which had suffered major damage during the war, were never rebuilt.
Also in 1970, the Houses of Canons, a building attached to the chapels facing Micalet street, were demolished to give the cathedral back its previous appearance, and at the same time elements of little or no architectural value were removed.
The task of removing the Neoclassical elements in order to recover the original Gothic aspect was undertaken in 1972. The only Neoclassical elements spared were most of the ambulatory chapels, and some isolated elements such as the sculptures at the base of the dome (cimbori).
After several restorations, the cathedral is currently in a good state of preservation, especially after the exhibition of 1999 named The Image’s Light.[8] It was once again declared a cultural landmark, this time by the regional Valencian government (Consell de la Generalitat Valenciana).
A purported Holy Chalice, believed by many to be the true Holy Grail,[9] is revered in one of the cathedral's chapels. It has been the official chalice for many popes, and has been used by many others, most recently by Pope Benedict XVI, on July 9, 2006.[10] This chalice with Arabic inscriptions dates from the 1st century, and was given to the cathedral by king Alfonso V of Aragon in 1436.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia_Cathedral