Cathedral of Saint Mary. The cathedral was built on the site of the former Roman temple of Diana, the goddess of fertility, flora and fauna. The temple, which belonged first to the Romans, and then to the Visigoths, was completely demolished by the Arabs. On the site of the temple, the Arabs erected a mosque. But with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Muslim shrine was also destroyed, and a cathedral was laid on its foundation in 1262. Construction continued until 1356. In subsequent centuries, the cathedral was completed and rebuilt, so entire epochs were mixed in its architecture.
Entrance to the Cathedral is paid 4.5 euros.
To the right of the main entrance to the Cathedral is the chapel of Santo Calis. The most important treasure of the chapel is a translucent bowl, called the Holy Grail, presented to the cathedral by the King of Aragon Alfonso V the Magnanimous in 1437.
Until 1916, the bowl was kept in the hall with relics, but then it was moved here.
Previously, the bowl was used in religious ceremonies, but in 1744 it was accidentally dropped on the floor, and it broke, after which it was decided to restore it and keep it simply as a cult object in the future (now the bowl is used only on especially solemn occasions). The bowl is made of dark red agate or chalcedony (this type of mineral is called carnelian or carnelian) and dates back to the 1st century BC. n. e. (according to other sources, it was made in 100-50 BC). It is trimmed with gold, valuable pearls and emeralds. The base and two handles of the bowl were added in the Middle Ages, so that only the polished agate bowl itself can be considered a real relic.
It is impossible to see it up close, because it is quite high.
This is the history of the bowl.
According to legend, after the death of the Virgin Mary, the disciples of Christ distributed her property among themselves, and the cup from which Christ ate at the Last Supper was taken away by St. Peter to Rome. Due to the persecution to which Christians were subjected, Pope Sixtus II in the 3rd century entrusted the valuable relic to St. Lawrence, who kept it in his hometown of Huesca. There the bowl was until 712, after which the Christians fleeing from the Muslims hid it in the Pyrenees, and then in the monastery of San Juan de la Peñ a near the city of Jaca. In 1399, the monks presented the Grail to the King of Aragon, Martin I, and the cup ended up in Zaragoza, in the Aljaferia Palace. In 1424, Alfonso V the Magnanimous moved the relic to Valencia as a token of gratitude for the help given by the Kingdom of Valencia in its Mediterranean battles. Initially, the cup was intended for the chapel of the royal palace, but in 1437 it was donated by the monarch to the cathedral chapter of Valencia.
The altar part of the Valencia Cathedral has the shape of a polygon and is covered with a vault with six ribs. The original paintings of the vault and walls of the altar part were lost during a fire in 1469, after which, in 1474, new paintings in the Renaissance style were entrusted to the Italian artists Paolo de San Leocadio and Francesco Pagano. The customer was the future Pope Alexander VI. However, in the course of work carried out in 1674-1682. under the direction of the Valencian architect Juan Pé rez Castiel, these murals were hidden under lush baroque decor with numerous columns, pilasters, gilding, etc.
Only in 2004, under the baroque stucco, were accidentally discovered the most beautiful Renaissance frescoes of 1474 depicting musical angels. The layers of the Baroque era were removed, and the audience was again presented with historical paintings, a miracle of the early Renaissance.
Striking was not only the incredible beauty of these frescoes, but also how wonderfully they were preserved.
Two large doors of the altar occupy an area of .75 square meters. m and painted with oil in 1506-1510. artists Fernando de la Almedina and Hernando (Fernando) de los Llanos. It is believed that these painters worked for some time with Leonardo da Vinci and brought the Italian Renaissance style to Spain, which then spread from Valencia throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula. The altar consists of six panels, painted on both sides, which gives a total of 12 paintings on gospel subjects, made in the manner of Leonardo and other artists of the Italian Renaissance. The paintings are so good that when Philip II saw them, he said, alluding to the silver retablo kept inside the altar: “Yes, of course, it is made of silver, but these wings themselves are pure gold. ”
Entrance to the Cathedral is paid 4.5 euros.
To the right of the main entrance to the Cathedral is the chapel of Santo Calis. The most important treasure of the chapel is a translucent bowl, called the Holy Grail, presented to the cathedral by the King of Aragon Alfonso V the Magnanimous in 1437.
Until 1916, the bowl was kept in the hall with relics, but then it was moved here.
Previously, the bowl was used in religious ceremonies, but in 1744 it was accidentally dropped on the floor, and it broke, after which it was decided to restore it and keep it simply as a cult object in the future (now the bowl is used only on especially solemn occasions). The bowl is made of dark red agate or chalcedony (this type of mineral is called carnelian or carnelian) and dates back to the 1st century BC. n. e. (according to other sources, it was made in 100-50 BC). It is trimmed with gold, valuable pearls and emeralds. The base and two handles of the bowl were added in the Middle Ages, so that only the polished agate bowl itself can be considered a real relic.
It is impossible to see it up close, because it is quite high.
This is the history of the bowl.
According to legend, after the death of the Virgin Mary, the disciples of Christ distributed her property among themselves, and the cup from which Christ ate at the Last Supper was taken away by St. Peter to Rome. Due to the persecution to which Christians were subjected, Pope Sixtus II in the 3rd century entrusted the valuable relic to St. Lawrence, who kept it in his hometown of Huesca. There the bowl was until 712, after which the Christians fleeing from the Muslims hid it in the Pyrenees, and then in the monastery of San Juan de la Peñ a near the city of Jaca. In 1399, the monks presented the Grail to the King of Aragon, Martin I, and the cup ended up in Zaragoza, in the Aljaferia Palace. In 1424, Alfonso V the Magnanimous moved the relic to Valencia as a token of gratitude for the help given by the Kingdom of Valencia in its Mediterranean battles. Initially, the cup was intended for the chapel of the royal palace, but in 1437 it was donated by the monarch to the cathedral chapter of Valencia.
The altar part of the Valencia Cathedral has the shape of a polygon and is covered with a vault with six ribs. The original paintings of the vault and walls of the altar part were lost during a fire in 1469, after which, in 1474, new paintings in the Renaissance style were entrusted to the Italian artists Paolo de San Leocadio and Francesco Pagano. The customer was the future Pope Alexander VI. However, in the course of work carried out in 1674-1682. under the direction of the Valencian architect Juan Pé rez Castiel, these murals were hidden under lush baroque decor with numerous columns, pilasters, gilding, etc.
Only in 2004, under the baroque stucco, were accidentally discovered the most beautiful Renaissance frescoes of 1474 depicting musical angels. The layers of the Baroque era were removed, and the audience was again presented with historical paintings, a miracle of the early Renaissance.
Striking was not only the incredible beauty of these frescoes, but also how wonderfully they were preserved.
Two large doors of the altar occupy an area of .75 square meters. m and painted with oil in 1506-1510. artists Fernando de la Almedina and Hernando (Fernando) de los Llanos. It is believed that these painters worked for some time with Leonardo da Vinci and brought the Italian Renaissance style to Spain, which then spread from Valencia throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula. The altar consists of six panels, painted on both sides, which gives a total of 12 paintings on gospel subjects, made in the manner of Leonardo and other artists of the Italian Renaissance. The paintings are so good that when Philip II saw them, he said, alluding to the silver retablo kept inside the altar: “Yes, of course, it is made of silver, but these wings themselves are pure gold. ”
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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