The Cathedral in Zamora stands on the end of the promontory, overlooking the River Duero. We visited last year but I was keen to visit again. Buildings like this are very complex and you can always find something ‘new’.
A brief history
Zamora as a settlement has a long history over many centuries as it was a settlement for prehistoric tribes, Romans and Moors. The city finally returned to Spanish hands under Alfonso V, King of Leon in the 10th century.
Alfonso VII founded the Cathedral in Zamora in 1151 and it was finally completed and consecrated in 1175. He was the King of Galicia, and the King of Leon and Castile and was seeking to re-established the Christian religion after the departure of the Moors.
Outside the Cathedral
It is the Dome of the Cathedral which is particularly notable and which influenced the style of the domes in later Cathedrals such as the Old Cathedral in Salamanca. It is actually quite difficult to see the dome and you have to look for views from side streets and along the river below.
Inside the Cathedral
The Cathedral is very gloomy but interesting chapels and tombs are lit up. There were groups of tourists, not particularly polite ones on this occasion.
We wanted to visit the Santa Semana Museum in the town but it has been demolished and the contents of the museum, mainly the floats carried during Holy Week, are distributed amongst the churches in the town.
There are many tombs in the walls of the Cathedral. Burial in the cathedral was a honour and privilege which was only given to people of a certain status and class. If you could afford it you built a chapel in your name. If this was unaffordable you could excavate a hollow in the walls of the cathedral and be buried there.
Abott and Canon Alfonso Garcia died in 1409 and his tomb was covered up until c.2012. Bernard of Perigord was the first Bishop of Zamora from 1121-1149. He went to Spain as a young man and joined the church in Toledo. He oversaw and organised the construction of the new cathedral. Lope Rodriguez de Olivares died in 1402. He was a knight and the tomb was only fully uncovered in 2010. The carving in the niche is from the early 13th century so it was probably the tomb of someone else which was re-used.
The Choir is in the body of the church and the choir stalls are carved from walnut. It was created by a team of people in the 16th century and replaced a Romanesque choir which was destroyed by fire.
Museum of the Cathedral in Zamora
The museum in the cathedral has one of the best collections of 15th-17th century Flemish tapestries in the world – they are breathtaking. They show ssenes from the Trojan War, Hannibal’s Italian campaign and the life of Tarquin who was an Etrusan King. I could spend many hours here…
The Cathedral in Zamora is striking but perhaps not the most ‘spiritual’ building. It is the tapestries in the Museum which stay in one’s memory.