Our Lady of Burgos was begun in the 13th century at the same time as the great cathedrals of the Ile-de-France and was completed in the 15th and 16th centuries. The entire history of Gothic art is summed up in its superb architecture and its unique collection of works of art, including paintings, choir stalls, reredos, tombs and stained-glass windows.
See:
The 15th-century facade of the west front has triple entrances framed by three-dimensional arches, a gallery enclosed by a pinnacled balustrade and a delicately-pierced rose window. Over the three doorways rise the two lofty and graceful towers, crowned with spires.
In the uppermost level of the three-storied façade are two ogival double-arched windows and statues on pedestals, crowned with a balustrade of letters carved in stone: PULCHRA ES ET DECORA ("Beautiful art Thou, and graceful"), with a statue of the Virgin Mary in the center. There are more balustrades and balconies in the towers, with further open-carved inscriptions: needle-pointed octagonal pinnacles finish the four corners.
The cathedral's cruciform floorplan is difficult to see from the outside, due to the 15 chapels added at all angles to the aisles and transepts, the beautiful 14th-century cloister on the northwest, and the archiepiscopal palace on the southwest.
The north transept portal, known as the Puerta de la Coronería, has statues of the Twelve Apostles and is crowned with ogival windows and two spires. The south portal features the evangelists at their writing desks.
Many of the altars, chapels and monuments within the cathedral are of artistic and historical interest. The magnificent octagonal Chapel of the Condestable is of flamboyant Gothic style, filled with traceries, knights and angels and heraldry.
Where to stay?
Official Website:
http://www.catedraldeburgos.es/
Burgos Cathedral:
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