Cathedral of Ávila

The Cathedral of Ávila in the south of Old Castile, Spain, was planned as a cathedral-fortress, its apse being one of the turrets of the city walls. It is surrounded by a number of houses or palaces, the most important being: the Palace of the Evening, the Palace of the Infant King, the Palace of Valderrábanos, which were responsible for the defence of the Puerta de los Leales (The Gate of the Loyal Ones) also know as La Puerta del Peso de la Harina (The Flour Road Gate).

History

It is not known exactly when the construction of the Cathedral began, there being two theories. One states that Alvar Garcia started its construction in 1091 inside the remains of the Church of the Saviour, which was in ruins as a result of successive Muslim attacks, and that Alfonso VI of Castile raised the money necessary to build it. Other historians believe the Cathedral to be the work of the maestro Fruchel in the twelfth century coinciding with the repopulation of Castille lead by Raimundo of Borgña.

Of the thirteenth century are the first stages of the towers and aisles and of the fourteenth century the second stage of the towers, the cloister, the vaults and the flying buttresses. Already in the fifteenth century the cathedral was complete and in 1475 Juan Guas built the mechanical clock.

Characteristics

The Cathedral of Ávila is considered to be the first gothic cathedral of Spain. It shows French influences and certain resemblances to the Abbey Church of St Denis, the first gothic church.