While certainly not as impressive as Toledo’s Cathedral, the one in Avila is still pretty amazing. It was either started in 1091 or the 12th century (apparently, your guess is as good as the historians) and finished in the 16th century, it began as Romanesque and finished as Gothic.
It is considered the one of the two first Gothic cathedrals in Spain, and is unique because the granite apse forms part of the fortified wall. In a way, it was built right into the wall, underlining, in the words of Rick Steves, the “medieval alliance between cross and sword.” (To be fair, that's not an original phrase attributable to Rick Steves, but I did learn the quote from him.)
The main door to the Cathedral is “guarded” by two stone carvings, one on each side, of wild men. The “wild man” is new to us, but it is a mythical figure that appears in art and literature of medieval Europe. Not surprisingly, wild men are most often found in Germany, but we’ve seen them so far on the outside of churches both in Avila and Valladolid.
The highlight of the interior of the Cathedral is the intricately carved outer stone wall of the the choir, with Plateresque carvings of the life of Jesus. Especially impressive is the scene of the Slaughter of the Innocents, with very expressive faces on the faces of the mothers as their babies are about to be put to death. There is also an alabaster baptismal font from 1516.
There are beautifully carved walnut choir stalls, and, of course, an enormous high altarpiece with scenes not just of the life of Jesus, but also of evangelists. Javier did a nice job of guiding us through the Cathedral.
The processional monstrance is from 1571 and is huge. The main theme is the sacrifice of Issac. And, of course, in this region of Spain, there is a painting by El Greco in the church museum. It is considered a minor painting, but it is clearly an El Greco. It's possible that every once-important city in central Spain is required by law to be able to display at least one El Greco.
After the tour was finished, we grabbed a lunch of chorizos and judias del Barco de Avila, which was a tasty stew of big white beans with a modest amount of meat in it at a restaurant right by the Cathedral. There is no truth to the rumor that "Barco" is part of the name because the huge white beans make your butt bark.
(Editor's Note: Did you EVER finish junior high? Writer: In some ways yes, but in other ways, not so much!)
No comments:
Post a Comment