The Primatial Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. It was declared a national monument in 1905.
History The cathedral was begun in 1154.
Architecture
Interior The cathedral is in a transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic. It has a basilica plan with a nave and two aisles, a transept with unequal arms, three semicircular apses with deep presbyteries. The apse has three windows in the lower part, and other seven in the upper one, of ogival shape. The nave has a height of 26 metres at the dome, a length and a width of 16.5 m, while the aisles are 13 m height and 8.25 m wide. The length of the main axle is 101 metres. The nave and the aisles are covered by cross vaults whose ribs are supported by cruciform pilasters annexed to columns; the capitals of the latter feature Moorish motifs. The windows are of two main type: Romanesque, with archivolts, and Gothic, with stained glasses. The octagonal tower-dome was built in the mid-13th century, and is cross-vaulted. The presbytery and the apse have kept a notable Romanesque pavement, formed by plaques of stone and marble of different colours in geometrical patterns.
The stalls of the choir were made by the Saragossan artist Francisco Gomar in the 15th century, in oak wood. The western side was dismantled and is now in a museum. The organ is from the late 16th century, designed by the architect Jaume Amigó.
Chapels The church includes the following chapels, starting from to the right of the entrance towards the choir:
Chapel of the Virgin Mary (1520). The altarpiece, coming from the parish church of Solivella, was executed by Mateu Ortoneda in the early 15th century. Chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat, with an altarpiece from the church of Santes Creus, begun by Guerau Gener and finished by Lluís Borrassà in the early 15th century. Chapel of the Conception. in Baroque style (1674), with works by sculptor Francesc Grau and painter Francesc Tramulles Roig. Chapel of St. Fructuous and St. John, designed in Renaissance style by Pere Blai Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre (1494), housing a 4th-century AD Roman sarcophagus with Gothic additions (Gothic made by an anonymous Valencian sculptor) Chapel of the Holiest (1592), in the right transept. It features a large triumphal arch as entrance, an octagonal dome, three chapels with semicircular arches and works from Jaume Amigó, Pere Blai and Bernat Càceres. Archbishop Antonio Agustín y Albanell is buried here. Chapel of St. Barbara (14th century) Chapel of St. Mary of the Taylors, built before 1350 and later renovated. It has a hexagonal plan and features an extraordinary polychrome stone altarpiece (1368) by Aloi de Montbrai. Major Chapel, featuring a notable Gothic sculpture by Pere Johan (1426–1434) in polychrome alabaster Chapel of St. Oleguer Chapel of St. Luke Chapel of St. Thomas (16th century) Chapel of the Christ the Healer (15/16th century) Chapel of the Rosary (16th century) Chapel of the Presentation Chapel of St. Francis (1584), designed by Jaume Amigó Chapel of St. Tecla, patroness of Tarragona, built in 1777 in late Baroque style over what was once the baptistery Chapel of St. Michael and All the Angels (mid-14th century). It contains a sculpture decoration with angels attributed to Jaume Cascalls and an altarpiece, depicting St. Michael, by Bernat Martorell (15th century) from the church of La Pobla de Cérvoles. Chapel of the Baptistery (1340–1344), with numerous sculptures featuring the Evangelists with their symbols, and other human and saint figures
Exterior
The unfinished main façade has three portals, corresponding to the nave and the aisles; the central one is in a Gothic style with similarities to that in the Cathedrals of Amiens and Reims, with ogival arcades, while the other two are in Romanesque style. The main gate is surmounted by a large rose window, similar to that in the Monastery of Sant Cugat or in the Cathedral of Majorca. The twelve spokes represent the twelve tribes of Israel, or the apostles. It has a diameter of 11 meters. The two lateral portal have also smaller rose windows. The main gate, executed by master Bartolomeu from 1277 to c. 1291, features ogival arches of decreasing size enclosed in a square-like tympanum. Below each archivolt, and in the lower section of the side pilasters, are figures with saints and prophets, by Jaume Cascalls and his workshop. Another statue, depicting the Virgin Mary, divides the entrance in two. Its pedestal shows scenes of the Genesis, with the creation of Adam and Eve and the Original Sin. Over the door is an ogival tympanum with the Final Judgement, presided by Christ and Angels, over which is a Gothic window executed by Jaume Cascalls and his workshop in 1375. In the interior, in correspondence to this tympanum, are representations of the Virgin with Saints and two angels. The doors, in cast iron, date to the 15th century.
Cloister
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