Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: catedral

The Cathedral of Saint Martin ( Duomo di San Martino ) is the city’s most important religious building. The current building dates back to 1764 and stands along the main square of the town - Piazza XX Settembre - on the site of the ancient church of San Martino, which was demolished to make way for the new church designed by Domenico Schiavi from Tolmezzo. The facade was completed only in 1931. The interior of the cathedral is well-proportioned with side chapels and a high altar of white marble . The ceiling has three frescoes, dating back to 1764. The side altars are adorned with beautiful 18th century paintings. On the main picture you see the tomb of Saint Hilary (Sant’Ilario), patron Saint of Carnia (a mountain area in Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Every year in August (usually the first Sunday after 15th August the mortal remains of the Saint, will be moved to the little chapel of "Sant'Ilario and Madonna della Strada" outside the center of Tolmezzo. For the entire period in which it remains, usually three days, every evening the holy rosary is recited. After that period, the mortal remains will be move again at the Cathedral with a religious procession and remain exposed for a few days. So we were quite lucky to come across this tomb.

The site of the Ljubljana Cathedral was originally occupied by a Romanic church, which was first mentioned in1263. It was built by boatmen and fishermen in honor of their patron, Saint Nicholas. This church burnt down in 1361 and was rebuilt in gothic style. Eight years after the establishing of the Ljubljana Diocese in 1461 the cathedral was burnt down, most probably by the Turks. Early 18th century a new cathedral in baroque style was built, which was consecrated in1707. The church's dome with a height of 24 meters was only built in 1841, originally a fake dome was painted on the arch above the centre of the cross; the dome fresco was painted in 1844. Not expecting such a beauty in Ljubljana, I was really impressed by the interior of the cathedral with its six side altars. It is a baroque masterpiece, which depicts classic gilt decorations, pink marble, detailed ceiling frescoes, carved choir stalls and a stunning main altar. In 1859 the interior was completely renovated: the frescoes were cleaned, the walls were covered with marble and the gilding was restored. Since 2008 the cathedral has been insured as a cultural monument of national importance in Slovenia. Two bronze doors were added in 1996 for the 1250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia and to commemorate a visit by former Pope John Paul II to the cathedral. The so called “Ljubljana door”- where visitors have to enter the church - has portraits of six bishops, depicting the history of the Ljubljana diocese (PiP3).

The Dom St. Stephan (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) in Passau is located on the highest point of the old city between the rivers Inn and Danube. Other churches have stood on this place: already around the year 450 a church in the ancient city of Batavis is testified. The bishop's church was first mentioned in a document in 730 and has been the cathedral of the diocese since 739. A previous gothic church building was largely destroyed by a devastating town fire in 1662. The present cathedral has baroque architecture and was built between 1668 and 1698 by the famous Italian architect Carlo Lurago. The elaborate stucco works and wonderful frescos in the interior were done by other Italian artists. The beautifully gilded pulpit dates from 1726 and was made in Vienna. Between 1947 and 1953 a new high altar for the cathedral was created; like the ceiling fresco it depicts the stoning and the vision of St. Stephen. The Cathedral - one of the largest north of the Alps - is 102 meters long and 33.5 meters wide; the dome reaches a height of 69 meters. The octagonal upper parts of the two towers - 68 meters high - date from as far back as 1896. The Dom St. Stephan has one of the largest organs in the world. From 1924 to 1928 a large organ was built, which was rebuilt and extended at the end of the 20th century. The organ currently has 17.974 pipes and 233 registers; the largest organ pipe is 11 meters high and the smallest 6 millimeters.

The Sé de Lisboa (officially Igreja de Santa Maria Maior is Lisbon’s cathedral and the oldest church in the city. The Sé was built in the year of 1147, after Dom Afonso Henriques - the first king of Portugal - reconquered Lisbon from the Moors. It was located on the main mosque of Lisbon. This first building was completed between 1147 and the first decades of the 13th century in Late Romanesque style. Earthquakes have always been a problem for Lisbon and its cathedral. During the 14th and 16th centuries there were several of them, but the worst of all was the 1755 earthquake, which destroyed the Gothic main chapel along with the royal pantheon. The cloisters and many chapels were also ruined and the fire that followed. The cathedral was partially rebuilt and - in the beginning of the 20th century - was given the appearance that it has today after a profound renovation. The neoclassical decoration from outside and inside of the cathedral was removed to give the cathedral a more "mediaeval" appearance. The name Sé derives from Sedes Episcopalis , which simply means “bishop’s seat”. Nowadays this impressive and iconic religious building with its massive solid walls and two imposing clock towers is one of the most significant touristy sights of Lisbon. During our visit there were renovations of the ancient cloisters, so we couldn’t visit. PiP4 was taken from our apartment, which was located just next to the Sé .

The cathedral, located at the central square ( Plaza 9 de Julio ), is one of the most important and remarkable buildings of the city. The current church is the result of a couple of other constructions. The first one was a very simple building with adobe walls and a few windows. Due to its construction the church started to break quickly. A second church - now with two towers and a dome - was built on the same place and survived even an earthquake in 1692. The current church started to be built in 1858 and it took twenty-five years before it was finished. The architectural style of the cathedral is neo-colonial. It has a rectangle floor - with beautiful tiles - and three naves, a presbytery and a semicircular apse in the high altar. The transept is very high, with a dome ceiling. The side aisles have stained glass windows. The (pink coloured) cathedral is dedicated to Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In the year of 1941 it was declared a national monument.

The Catedral Metropolitana is the most important church in Buenos Aires, located on the Plaza de Mayo. It is the Catholic Church's main site in Argentina, where pope Francis, as archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, used to perform mass before assuming office in the Vatican in 2013. The first church on this site was built in 1580, when the city of Buenos Aires was founded. The first main church of Buenos Aires was a modest building made of wood and adobe, and was replaced by a new one in 1605, which also had to be rebuild. Due to the bad quality of its building materials, the tower and the roof of this church fell down in the early 1680s. In 1684, bishop Azcona Imberto ordered the rebuilding of the Catedral Metropolitana . After eleven years the main part - without towers and façade - of the church was completed. Due to economic problems and slow construction progress, it took until 1727 before the cathedral was completely finished. In 1752 the nave of the cathedral collapsed again, after which it had to be completely rebuilt. It was not until 1863 that the cathedral - including a façade - reached its current form. The exterior (PiP1) has not the typical cathedral profile as it has no towers and it looks more like a Greek temple with its twelve columns, representing Jesus’s apostles. Cathedral Metropolitana has an impressive interior décor - with its five naves and transept, surmounted by a 41-meters high vault - in neo-Romanesque and neo-Baroque styles. The main gilt wood altarpiece depicts the Holy Trinity and is one of a few remaining elements from colonial times (1785). The cathedral also hosts a marble mausoleum with the remains of general San Martin, who was the leader of the independence struggle of South America against the Spanish occupier (PiP3).

Cádiz Cathedral is the most famous landmarks of the city. The church is built on the site of an older cathedral - completed in 1260 - which burned down in 1596. The new cathedral was built between 1722 and 1838. Construction began in the baroque style and was completed in the neoclassical style. The cathedral is topped by a 52 m. high ‘golden’ dome, which adds a Moorish feel to the building. The western bell tower (Torre de Poniente) has become a tourist attraction. The tower, whose construction began in Cadiz’s golden age in the 18th century, can be reached via the ramp. The top of the tower affords outstanding views over the city and a closer look at the dome.

‘La Catedral de Sevilla’ (or ofiicially‘Catedral de Santa María de la Sede’) has a lenght of 126 metres and a width of 83 metres. Its maximum height in the centre of the transept is 37 metres. The total surface of the building is 23.500 square metres. Measured by area Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church all over the world. The cathedral is built on the site of Seville’s main mosque. This Almohad Mosque was consecrated as a cathedral in the year of 1248. The construction of thee Gothic cathedral began in 1434 and was finished early 16th century. Seville's cathedral was built to demonstrate the power and wealth of the city after the Reconquista. The huge interior of the cathedral, with a central nave and four side aisles, is richly decorated. It also contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. In the center of the church is the choir (main picture), which has elaborate 15th-century choir stalls. Seville Cathedral was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

‘Kalmar domkyrka’ (Kalmar Cathedral) is located in the heart of the new city and dominates the central square ‘Stortorget’. According to the renaissance ideals of the mid 17th century the church and the town hall were places across from each other at the square. The new fortified city - built on the island ‘Kvarnholmen’ - was completed in the year of 1658. Two years later the construction of the cathedral started, but due to several interruptions it was finished in 1703. It has been built in a Scandinavian variant of baroque style with richly decorated facades and pilasters of limestone. The interior of the church - remarkable bright - is laid out according to Evangelical Lutheran tenets with a focus on the main altar. This baroque altar was designed in 1704 and depicts the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The interior shows beautiful furnishings and fixtures with graves, epitaphs and a sculpted pulpit from the mid 17th century. In the center of the ‘domkyrka’ hangs a brass chandelier with 36 arms.

The Cathedral of Baeza (Catedral de Baeza) is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It is built on a Roman temple, which later became a mosque and was converted to Christianity in 1147. In the period between 1570 and 1593 several renaissance elements were added to the cathedral and the building became its present look. Nowadays it forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with other monuments in Baeza.

The origins of Baeza date back to the first settlers during the Bronze Age, when it was a significant settlement from the Algar culture. In the Roman period a completely established town was built, including a castle and city walls. The Moors settled here and Baeza even was the capital of one of the Moorish Tarifa kingdoms. The city became its greatest splendour during the 15th and 17th century, when its economy prospered thanks to its agriculture and the impetus of the University of Baeza. Baeza is known as the cradle of Spanish renaissance. The UNESCO named the city a World Heritage Site in 2003. Baeza still has a lot of important monumental complexes. The Plaza de Santa María can be considered as the heart of the city, offering most of the monuments; among them the cathedral ‘Santa Iglesia Catedral’and ‘Fuente de Santa María’.

The Cathedral of Guadix (Catedral de la Encarnación de Guadix) is a Roman Catholic cathedral. The baroque style building was under construction for a long period; it began in the 16th century and was completed in the mid-18th century. Guadix is believed to be one of the oldest diocesan seats in Spain. The cathedral stands on the site of an earlier Visigoth church extant in the 10th century, upon which - during the period of Muslim domination - a mosque was built. Guadix was captured by the Christian forces in 1489 and the Visigoth church was reestablished as the official seat of a bishop. It was given the name of the “Church of Saint Mary of the Incarnation” (Iglesia de Santa María de la Encarnación) and later was made a cathedral by a bull of Pope Innocent VIII.