Palencia Cathedral
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Cathedral Basilica of Saint Antoninus
| native_name = Catedral-Basílica de San Antolín
| image = Palencia Cathedral 2023 - South Façade.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = South Façade
| geo =
| religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic Church
| rite =
| consecration_year = 1897{{#tag:ref|Formally consecrated in 1897 after lack of evidence that it was done before.{{Cite web|url=https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-catedral-palencia-celebra-109-aniversario-consagracion-20061118201054.html|title = La Catedral de Palencia celebra el 109 aniversario de su consagración|date = 2006-11-18 |publisher=Europa Press}}|name=palencia|group=lower-alpha}}
| website = [https://catedraldepalencia.org catedraldepalencia.org]
| architecture_type = church
| architecture_style = Gothic
| groundbreaking = 1321
| year_completed = 1516
| facade_direction = south
| elevation_m = 42
}}
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Antoninus ({{langx|es|Catedral-Basílica de San Antolín}}) is a Roman Catholic church located in Palencia, Spain. It is dedicated to Saint Antoninus of Pamiers.{{Cite web|title=Catedral de Palencia|url=http://catedraldepalencia.org/|access-date=2020-09-16|language=es}}
History
The cathedral was built from 1172 to 1504 stands over a low-vaulted Visigothic crypt (the Crypt of San Antolín). In front of the Proto-Romanesque temple is the old Visigothic chapel from the mid-7th century, built during the reign of Wamba to preserve the remains of the martyr Saint Antoninus of Pamiers, a Visigothic-Gallic nobleman brought from Narbonne to Visigothic Hispania in 672 or 673 by Wamba himself. These are the only remains of the Visigothic cathedral of Palencia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rutasconhistoria.es/loc/cripta-visigoda-de-san-antolin|title=Cripta visigoda de San Antolín|last=Salvador Conejo|first=Diego|website=Rutas con historia|access-date=April 19, 2020}}
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 solid, simple and austere exterior does not reflect the grandeur of its interior, with more than twenty chapels of great artistic and historical interest. The most recognizable feature on the outside is the tower, of 55 meters of height, solid and a little rough in its Gothic style. Recent studies and excavations show that it was a military tower, and after serving this function, pinnacles and cattail were added as the sole decoration.
It is a large Gothic building, popularly dubbed as "the unknown beauty" because it is not as well known as other Spanish cathedrals, though it is a valuable building which has in its interior works of art of great value, including El Greco's painting The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (1576–1579) and a retablo of twelve panels by Juan de Flandes, court painter to Queen Isabella I of Castile.
Gallery
Palencia Cathedral 2023 - West Façade 1.jpg|West Façade
Palencia Cathedral 2023 - Crypt.jpg|Crypt of Saint Antoninus
Palencia Cathedral 2023 - Apse.jpg|Apse
Palencia Cathedral 2023 - Nave.jpg|Interior and retrochoir
Palencia Cathedral 2023 - Cloister.jpg|Cloister
El martirio de San Sebastián, de El Greco (Catedral de Palencia).jpg|The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by El Greco.
See also
Notes
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- Catálogo monumental de Castilla y León. Bienes inmuebles declarados. Vol I. Junta de Castilla y León, 1995. {{ISBN|84-7846-433-6}}
- Martínez González, Rafael A. Catedrales de Castilla y León. Catedral de Palencia. Editorial Edilesa, 2002. {{ISBN|84-8012-387-7}}
- {{cite book | last=Navascués Palacio | first=Pedro | author-link=Pedro Navascués | first2=Carlos | last2=Sarthou Carreres | author-link2=Carlos Sarthou Carreres | year=1997 | title=Catedrales de España | location=Madrid | publisher=Espasa Calpe | isbn=84-239-7645-9 | oclc= 249825366}}
- Sancho Campo, Ángel. La Catedral de Palencia: un lecho de catedrales. León: Edilesa, 1996. {{ISBN|84-8012-139-4}}
- Sancho Campo, Ángel. La Catedral de Palencia: guía breve. León: Edilesa, 2005. {{ISBN|84-8012-515-2}}
- Martínez González, Rafael A., "La catedral de Palencia. Historia y arquitectura", Palencia, 1988, {{ISBN|84-404-1944-9}}
- CALLE CALLE, Francisco Vicente: Las gárgolas de la Catedral de San Antolín de Palencia, www.bubok.com, 2008.
{{Commons category|Cathedral of Palencia}}
{{coord|42|0|40|N|4|32|13|W|source:eswiki_region:ES_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Cathedrals in Spain}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Castile and León
Category:Churches in Castile and León
Category:Burial sites of the Castilian House of Burgundy
Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1504
Category:16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain
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