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Cuenca Cathedral

The monument

Cuenca Cathedral has the honour of being the first Gothic cathedral in Castile. In Norman Gothic style, it served both as a sanctuary and as a fort. The work was begun by French stonemasons, in the French tradition, in the year 1196 and completed in the year 1257. However, over the centuries, it has undergone transformations that have not yet been concluded.

Its floor plan is a Latin cross, with three naves, a spacious frontispiece without flying buttresses and a deep presbytery. The transept is covered by a huge central vault that shows Anglo-Norman influences. In fact, it has been ascertained that the author of this building had trained at schools where Norman art was studied, being familiar with Burgundy architecture.

The exterior of the cathedral was almost completely renovated in the 16th century and is not of particular artistic interest. A century later, in the 17th, the Chapel of the Tabernacle was built and both the façade and the towers were reformed, thus lending the building a Baroque appearance.

The new main altar was built in the 18th century, and in the early 20th century the façade was once again dismantled and rebuilt to its current appearance.

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Location

Cuenca is the capital of the province by the same name that has been part of the Autonomous Community of Castile - La Mancha since 16th August 1982. The city is located in the centre of Spain, at a distance of 167 km from Madrid and in the valley formed by the rivers Júcar and Huécar. Its geographical location meant that this city was an impenetrable fortress in the past, whereas nowadays its setting has earned it the name of "landscape-city".

The cathedral of Our Lady of Grace is located at the very heart of Cuenca. It is from this same square, Plaza de Pío XII, from where the entire city may be seen from the walls of this enclosure.

Address:
Plaza de Pío XII

Visiting-hours:
From 9 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 19:30 in summer and until 18:30 in winter

Display on GoogleMaps

Map showing monument location

The city and its history

According to Julio Mártir Rizo, one of the most acclaimed historians from Cuenca, the city was founded on the same day and at the same time as Rome. However, few traces of this culture have been conserved, with the exception of a small bridge and a well.

Islam left a deeper imprint on this city. The Arabs built a fortress that they called "Conca" and under the Omeya, Cuenca stood out for its flourishing agriculture and important textile industry.

After a nine-month siege, the city, which was assailed by Almoravids and Almohads, was reclaimed by Alphonsus VIII on 21st September 1179. From that moment onwards, a council was formed, governed by the Cuenca Forum and an Episcopalian seat, bodies that contributed towards the city's progress.

Trade became the engine of the economic evolution, urban planning and architectonic policy of Cuenca between the 14th and 15th centuries. However, the 17th century was to see the city enter into a decline caused, among other reasons, by the increase in the price of wool and the resulting collapse of the textile works.

After the ups and downs of the 18th century and wars in the 19th, it was in the latter period when the city as we know it today was configured. In the 20th century, like the rest of Spain, Cuenca lived through the Civil War, which nevertheless failed to destroy the beauty of this city in Castile-La Mancha.

The city today

With a population of 45,000 inhabitants, Cuenca is the administrative, legal and commercial centre of an extensive territory. The city is currently going through a demographic and economic boom due to the tourism sector, which has become its main activity. The hundreds of visitors that come to the landscape-city not only enjoy its privileged geographical setting. Cuenca has the honour of being the host city, since 1966, of the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art, a project started by various cultural foundations and museums that have expanded around the city. Other institutions like the University of Castile-La Mancha, the Menéndez Pelayo International University or the Historical Archive are the drivers behind Cuenca's economic and demographic development. Nothing compares to the benefits that the AVE high speed train route will bring when it links Cuenca to Madrid, a project that was approved in January of this year.

View other monuments of interest (spanish)

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Activities

Cuenca Cathedral
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral may be visited every day between 9 and 13:30 H and between 16:30 and 19:30 in the summer and until 18:30 in winter. Also of special interest is the visit to the Cathedral Treasure, which is located in the cathedral sacristy. The most noteworthy works are: Our Lady of Sorrows by Pedro de Mena, Ecco Homo by García Salmerón or the Altarpiece of the Assumption by Martín Gómez the Elder. The visiting hours for this Treasure are: daily, from 11 to 13:30 H and from 16:30 to 19:30 in summer and until 18:30 in winter.

Religious Music Week
Very well-known and with a long tradition. This festival brings together several important performers and orchestras.

Holy Week and other festivities
Internationally renowned, Cuenca's Holy Week is the most important celebration to take place in the capital of Cuenca. The first procession takes place on Palm Sunday, followed on Monday by the Procession of the Vera Cruz, on Tuesday by the Procession of Pardon and on Wednesday by the traditional Procession of Silence. On Holy Thursday the Processions of Peace and Charity walk through the streets of Cuenca and on Good Friday, the most important day in Holy Week, three processions are held. The Way of Calvary procession takes place between the small hours of the morning and midday. It is commonly referred to as the "Turbas" (Mobs) procession. The Calvary procession runs from 12:30 until midday and the Holy Burial procession takes place at night. Holy Week ends with the Easter Sunday Procession. As well as Holy Week, other festivities that are representative of the city of Cuenca are St. Julian (from 20th - 29th August), St. Matthew (21st September) and Fat Thursday, which takes place the week before Ash Thursday. The festivity of St. Matthew, which was recently declared to be of Regional Tourist Interest, commemorates the anniversary of the conquest of the city by King Alphonsus VIII in 1177.

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