Teruel Cathedral

Historia

The Teruel Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Teruel, Aragon, Spain. Entitled to St. Mary, it is a notable example of Mudéjar architecture. Together with other churches in the town and in the province of Zaragoza, is listed in the UNESCO Heritage site Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon since 1986.HistoryThe cathedral traces its origins to the foundation of the town by Alfonso II of Aragon, who ordered the construction of a church, entitled to St. Mary de Mediavilla, in Romanesque architectural style. In the late 13th century, the morisco architect Juzaff restructured it, rising the nave and the two aisles, and giving them a Mudéjar appearance. The Mudéjar bell tower was finished in 1257. The Romanesques apses where replaced by Gothic-Mudéjar ones in the 14th century.In 1423 Pope Benedict XII, of Aragonese origins, elevated it to the rank of collegiate. In 1538 was built the dome in the nave, a work of Martín de Montalbán. It has an octagonal plan with, on the external side, double mullioned windows with Plateresque decorations. In 1587, with the creation of the diocese of Teruel, the church was promoted to the cathedral role and reconsecrated.