The cathedral is located on the Plaza de la Seo and is commonly known as La Seo (Aragonese for "see") to distinguish it from the nearby El Pilar, whose name (pillar) is a reference to an apparition of Mary in Zaragoza (also known as Saragossa). They both share co-cathedral status in metropolitan Zaragoza.

History[edit]

Origin[edit]

The location of the Seo has its roots in the old Roman forum. Unlike other Roman city forums, the forum of Caesaraugusta was not located at the confluence of the Cardo and the Decumanus, but instead near the Ebro river, adjoining the river port. The forum, besides being the civic and commercial center of the city, contained the main temple. The Museum of the Forum is found below the plaza del Pilar, across from the facade of the cathedral. There have been no remains found of either a Visigoth or a Mozarabic church.

: in the exterior and the lower part of the apse. The Roman interior of the apse still remains, but is now covered by the Gothic altarpiece. In the sacristy are the "olifante" by Gaston IV of Béarn, built in ivory in the 11th century, and the relic-busts of Valerius of Saragossa (patron saint of Zaragoza), Saint Vincent of Saragossa, and St. Lawrence donated by the antipope Benedict XIII.

Romanesque

: mixed with Mudéjar, especially in the upper part of the exterior of the apse. The three central naves with their arches and tracery. Magnificent altarpiece largely of painted alabaster made by Pere Johan and Hans de Suabia. Choir stalls. Museum of Flemish tapestries from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, one of the three largest such collections in the world.

Gothic

: exterior wall of the Parish of San Miguel and its interior roof, gilded with wood. The Aragonese Mudéjar has been named a World Heritage Site.

Mudéjar

: In the Parroquieta of San Miguel, the tomb of the archbishop Don López Fernández de Luna from the 16th century. Dome with Mudéjar influences, built in the first third of the 16th century to replace the older Moorish dome.

Renaissance

: Tower and gate.

Baroque

La Seo was built on the site of the ancient Roman forum of Augustus and of the main mosque of the Moorish city of Saraqusta, elements of whose minaret form part of the current tower. The construction began in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, and underwent many alterations and expansions until 1704, when the Baroque spire completed the tower.

The cathedral is a mixture of styles, from the Romanesque apse (12th century) to the Baroque tower and Neo-Classical main door (18th century), passing through Mudéjar and Gothic. Of the diverse styles that make up La Seo Cathedral, the most important elements are:

The cathedral's museum has been restored recently and is open to the public. It is a tapestry museum that displays one of the finest collections of tapestries in the world.

Door of the Pabostría and atrium. The interior of the door is the most interesting part.

Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, a late Gothic chapel with Baroque altar and altar paintings by .

Francisco Ximeno

Chapel of (Valerius). Baroque entryway of gilded wood from the seventeenth century with scenes of the saints Valerius (patron of the city), Vincent, and Lawrence. Walls were painted by García Ferrer.

San Valero

Chapel of , or the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament. The altar, entryway, and paintings by Francesco Lupicini of Florence are all Baroque works of the seventeenth century.

Saint Helen

Chapel of the archangels , Gabriel, and Raphael. The chapel was constructed by Gabriel Zaporta towards the end of the sixteenth century as a funerary chapel; only the lid of the sarcophagus has been preserved from that era. Dating from the Renaissance are altar decorations fashioned by Juan de Anchieta, bronze grating by Guillén Trujarón, and the doorway. The paintings and mosaics are believed to be the work of the painter Pedro Morone of Siena.

Michael

Chapel of , patron saint of the Infanticos. This Baroque chapel dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century and houses the remains of the saint himself. Elliptical cupola (dome) that arches over very detailed plaster pechinas (support structures of the cupola).

Santo Dominguito de Val

Chapel of . Renaissance-era altar decorations by Gil Morlanes with sculptures by Gabriel Yoly and José Sanz (image of St. Augustine from 1720)

St. Augustine

Chapel of Saint . On the walls appear framed paintings from the seventeenth century attributed to the artist Berdusán. Below a canopy (pavilion-like draping of fabric) with Solomonic columns is a sculpture of Saint Pedro Arbués done by Juan Ramírez in the seventeenth century. Baroque doorway from the eighteenth century.

Pedro Arbués

Beginning with the foot of the cathedral, the chapels on the right side:

Beginning with the foot of the cathedral, the chapels on the left side:

Choir:

Apses:

Catholic Church in Spain

Aljafería

History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes

This article draws heavily on the in the Spanish-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of 21 February 2006.

corresponding article

Lostal Pros, Joaquín; Arturo Ansón Navarro (2001). Historia de cuatro ciudades: Salduie, Caesaraugusta, Saraqusta, Zaragoza (in Spanish). Zaragosa: Ayuntamiento, Servicio de Cultura: Caja Inmaculada. 84-8069-225-1.

ISBN

Rincón García, Wifredo (1987). La Seo de Zaragoza (in Spanish). Editorial Everest. 84-241-4893-2.

Cathedral of the Savior of Zaragoza