Cathedral of Valladolid

Valladolid's Cathedral, also called "Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción", was designed by Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial. Purist and sombre, its style is the typical Spanish "clasicismo", also called "Herrerian", show in all its architecture and decoration. This style follows the characteristics of Juan de Herrera. It does not house any exceptional pieces although in its time it has been the keeper of a Greco painting. Today it contains a rich musical archive including 6000 works and some authors define it as unique in Spain and a 16th century altarpiece by Juan de Juni. The history of the building is intertwined with that of the city of Valladolid, to the point that the growth of the town conditioned the construction of the cathedral in its origins. It is the great unfinished cathedral, the result of a project that could not be finished in all its splendour. The Collegiate beginnings soon became obsolete due to the changes of taste of the day, so the Town Council decided to build a cathedral that would put in the shade similar constructions in neighbouring capitals. Although faithful to the project of Juan de Herrera, the building would undergo many modifications, such as the addition to the top of the main façade, work of Churriguera.

This magnificent monument, declared of Cultural Interest in 1931 is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The building was designed by Juan de Herrera and was directed mainly by his disciples in the first half of the 17th century. Diego de Praves was the main contributor and he was succeeded by his son. The design plan was a rectangle with two towers in the corners of the main façade, and another two finishing in pyramids, in the chancery.

It had a transept and two magna doors in the ends. The main chapel was separated from the testero, so processions could pass round the back. There are chapels along the length of the two sides between buttresses.

The lower part of the main façade is based around a Tetra style triumphal arch. Due to an error in construction the portal arch is rather pointed.

In the 18th century Alberto Churriguera erected the second part in imitation of the façade of the church of El Escorial. In the balustrade there are statues of San Ambrosio, San Agustín, San Gregorio and San Jerónimo. Then the tower on the side of the vestry was erected which, after suffering the consequences of the Lisbon earthquake, fell down in 1841, it was re-erected next to the vestry and is crowned with a statue of the Corazón de Jesús. The cathedral remains unfinished.

There are four chapels on either side. In the first there is a Neoclassic liens of Cain and Abel and the second is property of Juan Velerde. The third has two late 17th century large liens, work of a follower of Lucas Jordan. The next is in dedication to San Fernando and the tomb of Count Ansúrez, whose statue dates from the 16th century, the same as the railing.

The main chapel has the altarpiece made by Juan de Juni for the Iglesia de la Antigua, although it was transferred to its present position in 1922. The plasterwork of the choir was the work of Francisco Velázquez and Melchor de Beya in 1617 and is from the convent of San Pablo. In the third chapel there is a Baroque altarpiece from the 18th century and a group of statues and funerary reliefs of the Venero family, work of a disciple of Pompeyo Leoni. The second chapel has a Baroque altarpiece, with a sculpture of San Pedro, by Pedro de Ávila and 16th century railings.

In the vestry there are several holy liens: the Assumption, from the second quarter of the 17th century by Diego Valentín Díaz; San Jerónimo and San Jenaro by Lucas Jordan. Lastly the chapter room has several ceremonious chairs in the choir stalls of San Pablo.