Cathedral of Jaca
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaca located in Jaca
, province of Huesca, Spain
.
It is the first Romanesque
cathedral built in Aragon
(1170s-early 12th century) and one of the oldest in the Iberian peninsula. Its current appearance is the result of later additions and modifications introduced especially in modern times (late 15th-late 18th centuries). The cathedral was erected by will of King Sancho Ramírez, who, after renovating in Rome his vassal oath to the Pope (1068), had obtained by the latter the right to establish the episcopal seat in Jaca, then capital of the Kingdom of Aragon
.
times were the St. Horosia Chapel, the loggia and the cloister, while the interior received an altarpiece and other decorations.
In the late 18th century one of the apses was demolished and rebuilt, and the central one was renovated.
s (one of which in Renaissance style). Only one of the current apses is original. Of the other two, the central one was renovated in the 18th century, and the other one rebuilt in the same age.
The nave and the aisles are separated by arcades supported by piers which are alternatively cruciform and cylindrical in plan, an element inspired to contemporary French structures. The capitals of the piers, in Corinthian style, have decorative motifs with vegetables and geometrical shapes. The ceiling was originally in wood: in modern times it was replaced by cross vaults. The large dome at the crossing is octagonal. On the four sides are several chapels built in the late 15th century-mid 17th century. The earlier ones (those dedicated to the Holy Cross and to St. Augustine) have late Gothic lines, those designed in the 16th century (St. Michael and St. Jerome, for example) show late Renaissance and Mannerist influences; the chapel of St. Horosia, totally remade in the 18th century, is in Baroque style.
Artworks in the interior include the altarpiece of the St. Michael Chapel, sculpted by Gil Morales the Younger, Gabriel Yoli, Juan de Salas and the Florentine Giovanni de Moreto (or Moretto
). The latter also directed the construction of the Chapel, which is considered amongst the finest examples of the Renaissance-Plateresque
architecture in Aragon
. The altarpiece of the high altar was finished in the early 17th century. The decoration of the central apse was painted by Manuel Bayeu, brother-in-law of Francisco Goya
, in 1792-1793.
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...
, province of Huesca, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
It is the first Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
cathedral built in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
(1170s-early 12th century) and one of the oldest in the Iberian peninsula. Its current appearance is the result of later additions and modifications introduced especially in modern times (late 15th-late 18th centuries). The cathedral was erected by will of King Sancho Ramírez, who, after renovating in Rome his vassal oath to the Pope (1068), had obtained by the latter the right to establish the episcopal seat in Jaca, then capital of the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
.
History
After Jaca became the capital of Aragon (1036), the city obtained the status of episcopal see in 1077. This made the construction of a cathedral church necessary. The starting date of the construction is unknown, but it is generally set at around that date. The main section of the church was completed around 1130. In 1395 a fire destroyed the cathedral's ceiling, which was rebuilt in the following years and was substantially renovated in the early 16th century. In the same period the aisles were added and the central nave was enlarged. In BaroqueBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
times were the St. Horosia Chapel, the loggia and the cloister, while the interior received an altarpiece and other decorations.
In the late 18th century one of the apses was demolished and rebuilt, and the central one was renovated.
Description
The cathedral has a generally Romanesque structure, although several elements are in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque style. The plan is on a nave and two aisles, with three apses and two external portals, both provided with loggiaLoggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
s (one of which in Renaissance style). Only one of the current apses is original. Of the other two, the central one was renovated in the 18th century, and the other one rebuilt in the same age.
The nave and the aisles are separated by arcades supported by piers which are alternatively cruciform and cylindrical in plan, an element inspired to contemporary French structures. The capitals of the piers, in Corinthian style, have decorative motifs with vegetables and geometrical shapes. The ceiling was originally in wood: in modern times it was replaced by cross vaults. The large dome at the crossing is octagonal. On the four sides are several chapels built in the late 15th century-mid 17th century. The earlier ones (those dedicated to the Holy Cross and to St. Augustine) have late Gothic lines, those designed in the 16th century (St. Michael and St. Jerome, for example) show late Renaissance and Mannerist influences; the chapel of St. Horosia, totally remade in the 18th century, is in Baroque style.
Artworks in the interior include the altarpiece of the St. Michael Chapel, sculpted by Gil Morales the Younger, Gabriel Yoli, Juan de Salas and the Florentine Giovanni de Moreto (or Moretto
Moretto
Moretto is a surname, and may refer to:*Angie Moretto, NHL player*Enrico Moretto, Italian fighter ace*Graziella Moretto, actress*Marcelo Moretto de Souza, Brazilian footballer*Nelly Moretto, musician...
). The latter also directed the construction of the Chapel, which is considered amongst the finest examples of the Renaissance-Plateresque
Plateresque
Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
architecture in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. The altarpiece of the high altar was finished in the early 17th century. The decoration of the central apse was painted by Manuel Bayeu, brother-in-law of Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
, in 1792-1793.