The New Cathedral, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
The building began at a time when the gothic style was becoming less popular and was merging with the new Renaissance style, giving the resulting Plateresco style in Spain. However, this cathedral retained more of its Gothic character because the authorities wanted the new cathedral to blend with the old one. Thus the new cathedral was constructed, continuing with Gothic style during the 17th and 18th centuries. However, during the 18th century, two elements were added that broke with the showy form with the predominant style of the building: a Baroque cupola on the transept and the final stages of the bell tower. The new cathedral was constructed without the subsequent destruction of the old cathedral as normally happened but a wall of the new cathedral, leans on the North wall of the old one. For this reason, the old cathedral had to be reinforced, and the bell tower was constructed on the old one. Two of the main architects of the cathedral were J. Gil de Hontañón and his son Rodrigo in 1538. Its main entrance consists of 3 arcs, each leading to the 3 naves (sections) of the church. All three are richly carved. Among the ornate carvings on the façade is the incongruous likeness of an astronaut floating in space; it was added by an artist during restoration work in 1992 as a symbol of the 20th century. (source: Wikipedia)
Size: 5100px × 3387px
Location: Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
Photo credit: © Olga Gajewska / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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