Santander Cathedral
| Santander Cathedral Basilica | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 43°27′38″N 3°48′27″W / 43.46056°N 3.80750°WCoordinates: 43°27′38″N 3°48′27″W / 43.46056°N 3.80750°W | |
| Location |
 Spain Santander (Cantabria), Spain |
| Country | Spain |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Website of the Diocese of Santander |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Santander Abbey; Colegiata de los Cuerpos Santos |
| Dedication | Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Santander |
Santander Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Santander, or "Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Santander") is located in the Spanish city of Santander. Its structure is mainly Gothic, although it has been extended and renovated in later times.
The cathedral is a historical monumental complex built between the end of the 12th century and the 14th century on top of the former Santander Abbey also known as the "Abbey of the Holy Bodies" (Abadía de los Cuerpos Santos), an old monastery dedicated to Saints Emeterius and Celedonius.
The church was built from the 8th century on the hill known as Cerro de Somorrostro, surrounded by water, where the Roman settlement of Portus Victoriae Iuliobrigensium had previously been located, in order to keep safe the relics of the saints martyred in Calahorra five centuries before, when their skulls were brought to Santander by those escaping the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
The construction of the lower floor dates from the 12th century, shortly after the city was granted its fueros. Initially the abbey church, it was made a collegiate church under the title of the Colegiata de los Cuerpos Santos ("collegiate church of the Holy Bodies") in 1131 by King Alfonso VII, the Emperor. Its reconstruction in its current form was started by Alfonso VIII, after the fuero of Santander was granted in 1187.
The upper floor of the church was built between the end of the 12th century and the start of the 14th. Finally, the Gothic cloister was built.
The main portal, constructed around 1230, is of special interest, as it contains the first known carved coat of arms showing lions and castles together, after the final unification of Castile and León in the time of Fernando III, whose son, Sancho, was abbot here.
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Wikipedia