Avila Cathedral: A Medieval Fortress-Church

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit Spain’s first Gothic cathedral.

Avila Cathedral’s façade closely resembles the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the first European Gothic church. Its curved-sided pointed arches above doors and windows demonstrate an important aspect of the Gothic architecture style’s development. Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock

In 1144, France unveiled the first structure that became the worldwide model for Gothic architecture—the Basilica of Saint-Denis. A quarter century later, the new style reached the margins of European culture. In Avila, Spain, the circa 12th-century Cathedral of the Saviour became Spain’s first Gothic masterpiece.

Designed to be a fortress church, the cathedral’s apse was built into one of the 88 towers along the city’s 1.5-mile-long defensive wall. While parts of the cathedral from the previous 11th to mid-12th century Romanesque structure were retained, the cathedral’s basic core—a cross-shaped floor plan with front towers, buttresses and radiating chapels—was built between 1170 and 1475.

Girald Fruchel, the Burgundian architect who introduced the Gothic style to Spain, significantly influenced the cathedrals design. The ambulatory, the apse, and part of the transept were built under his direction.

Significant additions and renovations were made until the 17th century—most notably during the Renaissance. Pedro Berruguete began the main altarpiece at the turn of the 16th century. The transept’s alabaster altars, baptismal font, and triforium panel reliefs, by Vasco de la Zarza, as well as the walnut choir stalls by Flemish sculptor Cornielles de Holanda, were carved in the first half of the 16th century. The most significant Baroque addition is the Velada Chapel.

The cathedral's apse, situated in the turret at the back, is part of the of the city’s fortified wall. Along the southern façade are three flying buttresses—supportive arches that protrude from the exterior wall. Typical of early Gothic architecture, these lateral buttresses help bear the load of roofs or vaulted ceilings. Fernando/CC BY-SA 4.0

The cathedral’s sanctuary and nave exemplify early Gothic aesthetics with the use of ribbed vaulting. Twenty-four early Renaissance paintings decorate the reredos of the High Altar. Pedro Berruguete began the altarpiece with portraits of the Evangelists and Doctors of the Church in the eight predellas (bottom portion of an altarpiece). The main, central panels were painted by Bartolome de la Santa Cruz and Juan de Borgona. makasana photo/Shutterstock

The cathedral transept, set crosswise to the nave, features interior flying buttresses, which are uncommon in later Gothic cathedrals. The 15th-century stained-glass windows demonstrate a hallmark Gothic architectural style called tracery, the intricate stonework elements that support the glass. John_Silver/Shutterstock

The pointed ribbed vaulting in the ambulatory, or covered passage, is a notable model of Gothic architectural aesthetics. The ambulatory is the oldest part of the cathedral and is built into the city's defensive walls. The triforium displays five decorated panels with reliefs. The central alabaster panel by Vasco de la Zarza contains the tomb of "El Tostado," a bishop of Avila. makasana photo/Shutterstock

The oldest parts of the cathedral, including the radiating chapel, were built with a red-stained stone known as "bleeding sandstone." This semicircular chapel with its rounded arches is predominantly a Romanesque design. But the reredos paintings date from Spain’s late Medieval transition to the early Renaissance. makasana photo/Shutterstock

The walnut choir stalls are decorated with filigree carving and sculptures of saints by Cornielles de Holanda. While the design is eminently Gothic, the sculptures have a degree of naturalism typical of the emerging Renaissance. Gilding and painting wood sculptures were particularly common during the Spanish Renaissance. Fernando Cortes/Shutterstock

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