On Friday, November 9th, we walked across the Plaza bib Rambla and around the corner to the big cathedral. The 10 euro admission included an audio guide. The cathedral is massive. The altar has paintings of the life of Christ and Mary for the first few stories and then above that there are stained glass windows with more of the same images. Along each side of the cathedral are chapels dedicated to various saints. Although the audio guide doesn’t mention it, one of them depicts Saint James on horseback with his sword upraised while his horse stomps a Muslim Moor. The audio guide does point out a painting showing a celebration of the mass baptism of many Moors but fails to include the fact that the Moors had to either be baptized or hit the road. Like everywhere else we’ve been in the world, the peace, love and understanding of all religions has its limits.
The cathedral also has 2 huge ornate pipe organs. The artwork and craftsmanship of everything in the cathedral is very impressive.
After the cathedral, we visited the Royal Chapel alongside it. Commissioned by Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand, it isn’t huge but it’s very beautiful and not ornate to the point of being tacky. No photos were allowed because of all the old paintings by some of the medieval masters like Botticelli. We even descended a few steps into the crypt below the chapel to see the lead coffins containing the bodies of Isabel, Ferdinand, their daughter “Mad Juana” and her husband “Philip the Fair” along with a grandson, Michael. Apparently Juana was so consumed with jealousy over her handsome husband that it drove her mad. When he died young, she slept beside his coffin for the next 2 years. Nice but just a little creepy.
After our touring, we went back to the patio restaurant we liked for another early dinner (or late lunch here in Spain). We have yet to stay awake long enough to go to dinner with everyone else at 8 or 9 pm.
The cathedral also has 2 huge ornate pipe organs. The artwork and craftsmanship of everything in the cathedral is very impressive.
After the cathedral, we visited the Royal Chapel alongside it. Commissioned by Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand, it isn’t huge but it’s very beautiful and not ornate to the point of being tacky. No photos were allowed because of all the old paintings by some of the medieval masters like Botticelli. We even descended a few steps into the crypt below the chapel to see the lead coffins containing the bodies of Isabel, Ferdinand, their daughter “Mad Juana” and her husband “Philip the Fair” along with a grandson, Michael. Apparently Juana was so consumed with jealousy over her handsome husband that it drove her mad. When he died young, she slept beside his coffin for the next 2 years. Nice but just a little creepy.
After our touring, we went back to the patio restaurant we liked for another early dinner (or late lunch here in Spain). We have yet to stay awake long enough to go to dinner with everyone else at 8 or 9 pm.
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