Viseu Cathedral
Viseu Cathedral is the
The cathedral is located on a large and harmonious square, beside the old Bishop's Palace (now the
History
Archaeological surveys have indicated that the site of Viseu Cathedral was occupied by an
From an artistic point of view, the most important building campaigns took place in the 16th century.
Also in the first half of the 16th century the cathedral was enriched with several series of painted
The old
Art & architecture
Viseu Cathedral is a Latin cross church with a three-aisled nave, transept and three Eastern chapels. The main façade is flanked by two towers. The outer, lateral walls of the church have a heavy, menacing appearance, typical of Portuguese mediaeval cathedrals, being partially decorated with merlons.
The South (clock) tower is still of mediaeval origin, while the North tower had to be rebuilt in the 17th century after a storm. The storm also destroyed the Manueline façade, which was rebuilt around 1635. The three-storey façade resembles a Mannerist altarpiece and is decorated with niches harbouring statues of the
In the interior, all aisles are of approximately equal height, resembling a hall church. The stone rib vaulting is supported by massive pillars and was built between 1505 and 1513, being an outstanding example of Manueline architecture. Some ribs of the roof (liernes) are shaped like twisted ropes and knots, typical Manueline decorative motifs.
The main chapel was rebuilt in Mannerist style and features a gilt-woodwork Baroque-Rococo altarpiece designed by famed sculptor Santos Pacheco, who was also responsible for the main altarpiece of Porto Cathedral. The altarpiece incorporates a Holy Mary statue from the 14th century and was carved between 1729 and 1733 by Francisco Machado. The choir stalls were built by Gaspar Ferreira after 1733.
To the South side of the cathedral there is a two-storey cloister originally built in the Middle Ages but greatly modified in the 16th-17th centuries. The ground floor is a typical Italian Renaissance work, built around 1539 by Francisco Cremona. The upper storey is a Mannerist gallery of the 17th century. The cloisters incorporate some Gothic chapels.
See also
References
- Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage [1]
- General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments (Portugal) [2]
- History of Viseu in the Municipality website [3]
40°39′35.75″N 7°54′39.47″W / 40.6599306°N 7.9109639°W
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
