Cuenca Cathedral

Historia

Cuenca Cathedral is a Gothic church in the city of Cuenca in Cuenca Province in the Castile-La Mancha region of south-eastern central Spain. Expression of Norman Gothic from northern Europe, begun in 1196. The wife of King Alfonso VIII, Eleanor Plantagenet of England, daughter of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine, Sister of Richard the Lionheart, who inspired this cathedral. The influence of the Norman court of King Alfonso VIII, defined the construction of this cathedral, the first Gothic cathedral of Castile, together with that of Avila. Work began in the year 1196 and was completed in 1257.The highlight of the building is that belongs to a very initial approach of the Gothic architecture, closely related to Anglo-Norman and French-Norman art of 12th century, as the Soissons Cathedral, Laon Cathedral and Notre Dame de Paris.It has a Latin cross plan (that is, the arm of the cross reaching from the main entrance to the altar is considerably longer than the other arms) and a seven-sided polygonal apse. The main facade was restored following the original style, by Vicente Lampérez in the early twentieth century.The cathedral is officially the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Gracia ("Basilica of Our Lady of Grace"). Unlike many other cathedrals in Spain, photography is not normally allowed in the interior.