Cathedral

The New Cathedral was built between 1513 and 1733 while preserving the Old one. Initially, there was a plan to demolish the Old Cathedral, but the decision was made to keep it open for worship while the new one was being built. Upon completion of the works in the 18th century, the idea of destroying it was reconsidered, which is why it is preserved today. Nevertheless, the south wall of the New Cathedral rests on the north wall of the Old one, which had to be reinforced towards the interior of the old temple, whose side aisle was partially reduced by the new construction. The New Cathedral’s tower was built on the Old Cathedral’s bell tower.

The idea of building a new cathedral arose in the 15th century due to the city’s demographic growth, especially driven by the strong appeal of the University. Consequently, the Old Cathedral seemed "small, dark, and low" at the time. They had the support of Ferdinand the Catholic, who in 1509 ordered architects Antón Egas and Alonso Rodríguez, who had worked in Toledo and Seville, to go to Salamanca to draw up plans for the new temple.

After various discussions, the cathedral was planned parallel to the old one, built with Villamayor freestone and in the Gothic style. It has a rectangular plan, with three naves and two more of niche chapels. Initially, the chancel was designed to end in an ambulatory and polygonal apses, but the project was eventually changed to the current one, which culminates the temple with a rectangular chancel forming a hall plan. The cornerstone was laid in 1512, with Francisco de Bobadilla as Bishop of Salamanca.

During almost the entire 17th century, the works were halted and resumed again in the 18th century, until their completion in 1733. The cathedral suffered the devastating effects of the Lisbon earthquake, which occurred on November 1, 1755, with visible signs still remaining in the cracks and broken stained-glass windows. After the earthquake, the dome had to be rebuilt (by Juan de Sagarvinaga) and the bell tower, which was more slender and very similar to that of Segovia Cathedral, had to be reinforced. The bell tower suffered severe damage during the earthquake, tilting and even threatening ruin. After consulting several architects who recommended its demolition, it was finally Baltasar Dreveton who proposed reinforcing it with 8 tensioned chains and cladding it with stone in the form of a batter, extending up to the bell chamber (about 40 meters from the ground). Jerónimo García de Quiñones, with Manuel de los Ríos, was in charge of directing this work. Thus, it can be seen today, clad in stone and leaning to one side due to the effect of the Lisbon earthquake. Currently, this catastrophe is remembered with the "Mariquelo" tradition on October 31st.

The current facade of the Old Cathedral, at the rear of the New Cathedral's tower. This tower was built on the old bell tower of the Old Cathedral. A crack originating from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 is still visible on it.
Around 1812, the French occupation army demolished the block of houses north of the cathedral, creating the current Anaya Square and highlighting the north facade, which was not designed for public display and was rather plain. This fact has led to the most famous photos of the cathedral being taken from this side, causing the main facade, much more interesting but located on a narrow street without enough space for good photographs, to be overlooked.

In 1887, the temple was declared a National Monument, and in 1999, a Protected Area.

The Cathedral is, along with that of Segovia, one of the last two Gothic cathedrals built in Spain. The New Cathedral was constructed, continuing with the Late Gothic style of its origins, between the 16th and 18th centuries, although in the late 16th century, the chancel, originally planned with a Gothic ambulatory, was changed to a flat one, and during the 18th century, two elements that strikingly broke with the predominant style of the temple were added: a Baroque dome over the crossing and the upper sections of the bell tower. This bell tower measures 93 meters in height.

The building's plan and elevation maintain Gothic uniformity, and the exterior presence of flying buttresses and buttresses, as well as the interior elevation of the naves, attest to this.

The interior of the cathedral is very similar to that of Seville Cathedral. However, despite the side aisles not being as high as the central one, following the "ad triangulum" scheme typical of Gothic architecture, the church gives an impression of great spaciousness and luminosity due to the height compensation and the achievement of interior space. The triforium, typical of constructions since the Late Romanesque period, is replaced by two continuous tribunes running along the entire perimeter of the cathedral and at two levels, which allows for further elevation of the side aisles. The pillars bear the weight of the vaults, where each of their ribs descends to the ground via the pillar in a slender shaft that helps distribute the weight. The vaults feature all kinds of combinations of ribs, liernes, and tiercerons, which make them very attractive due to their variety and complexity of workmanship.

The Tower at Night

North Side Aisle The New Cathedral has a plan with three naves and two more of niche chapels, which were completed in 1520 by Juan Gil de Hontañón for the left side and Juan de Álava for the right side. In 1538, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón became the master builder of the cathedral, after the death of his father Juan Gil de Hontañón. Initially, an ambulatory for the chancel and polygonal apses were projected, but construction delays led to a change in design to a flat chancel, a decision made in 1584 by the then chief architect Juan Ribero de Rada, following the chancel model designed by Juan de Herrera for Valladolid Cathedral. In 1588, the Cantabrian master Juan de Nates was called upon to continue the works.

The original lantern tower was erected by Joaquín Churriguera when the works resumed, after being halted for almost the entire 17th century due to lack of budget. It was completed in 1725 and appeared similar to that of Burgos Cathedral, with ribs and Baroque decoration. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 cracked the central dome, which was replaced by a Neoclassical one built by the architect Juan de Sagarvinaga, and this is the one that can be seen today.

They were designed with a unique model, with the chancel wall reserved for the altar or altarpiece, and arcosolia, originally intended for burials, opening in the other walls. They are covered with various star vaults. The grilles that close them are of different styles and qualities, depending on their construction period. Also noteworthy are the tile frontals that decorate some altars.