Cathedral of Santa María de Vitoria

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

The Cathedral of Santa María de Vitoria is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Construction of the cathedral of Santa María in Gothic-style began in the late 13th century and continued throughout the 14th century. It was conceived as a fortress church, with great volume and enclosed appearance, being part of the city's defences.

Between 1496 and 1861, the building operated as a collegiate church, and it was that year when it was declared a cathedral. It has a Latin-cross plan, with a wide transept crossing and circular apse containing several chapels.

The facade's portals are richly decorated with sculpture. The western portico is masterwork consisting of three portals: the central one consecrated to the Virgin, the left one dedicated to San Gil and the right one to the Final Judgement and Saint James.

Nowadays it is being restored within the project of the Santa Maria Cathedral Foundation, which manages guided tours and is in charge of restoration works.

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Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Cait Caps (2 years ago)
The only language available for the guided tour when I went was Spanish, but they provided audioguides in English (and French and German, if I remember correctly). The tour guide was very friendly and always made sure to give some explanation in English for me. He also answered any questions I had. The church itself is really interesting, and I recommend going up the tower especially around sundown. Better to reserve a slot for the tour in advance; mine was full on a Tuesday.
Louis S. (2 years ago)
We had a tour in Spanish, but with audioguide in English. We never had such a great, complete experience from enormous foundations to the roof, and everything in between. The restoration is well done. Tour guide was friendly and helpful. The Cathedral is not so over-decorated as many others in Spain, but very interesting non the less. Highly recommend tour!
David van der Hoop (2 years ago)
One of the best guided Cathedral visits I've ever been on! You start below and slowly move upward until you reach the bell tower, during which you learn about the history of Vitoria Gasteiz and the Cathedral itself. We had a Spanish tour guide but could follow everything with an English audio guide, while able to ask questions in English to our guide.
Kelly (2 years ago)
Wonderful experience! Had a Tour in English with Eneko (apologies of name is spelt incorrectly) but he was EXCELLENT The history, the architecture, the journey from the 13th Century until today was amazing to see and hear about
Daniel Fg (2 years ago)
It is certainly not the prettiest or the mos architecturally inspiring cathedral in Spain. However, it has an interesting story of trying to withstand the original construction errors. Fortunately, the cathedral has been saved from an imminent collapse after the last restoration. The guided visit is super interesting, as it takes you to places that are usually not accessible to the public, including the foundations.
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