INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY OR ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL (Valencia, Spain).
Most of Valencia Cathedral was built between the 13th century and the 15th century, and this style was mainly Gothic. However, its construction went on for centuries.[1] As a consequence there is a mixture of artistic styles, ranging from the early Romanesque, Valencian Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.
A project to renew the building was launched during the last third of the 18th century, whose intention was to give a uniform neoclassical appearance to the church, different from the original Gothic style that was then considered a vulgar work in comparison. Works started in 1774, directed by the architect Antoni Gilabert Fornés. The reshuffle affected both constructive and ornamental elements: the pinnacles were removed outside, and the Gothic structure was masked by stucco and other pseudo-classical elements.
In 1931 the church was declared a historic and artistic landmark by the Spanish government, but during the Spanish Civil War it was burned, which meant that it lost part of its decorative elements. The choir, located in the central part, was dismantled in 1940 and moved to the bottom of the high altar. The musical organs, which had suffered major damage during the war, were never rebuilt.
Also in 1970, the Houses of Canons, a building attached to the chapels facing Micalet street, were demolished to give the cathedral back its previous appearance, and at the same time elements of little or no architectural value were removed.
The task of removing the Neoclassical elements in order to recover the original Gothic aspect was undertaken in 1972. The only Neoclassical elements spared were most of the ambulatory chapels, and some isolated elements such as the sculptures at the base of the dome (cimbori).
After several restorations, the cathedral is currently in a good state of preservation, especially after the exhibition of 1999 named The Image’s Light.[7] It was once again declared a cultural landmark, this time by the regional Valencian government (Consell de la Generalitat Valenciana).
CSFH VIDEO. MUSIC BY TUDOR CONSORT (EIA MATER) licensed under a Attribution 3.0 International License.
TEXT FROM WIKI.