Catedral (Seu)
Few buildings in Valencia are as old—or as looming—as its medieval cathedral, built in fortress-like style between 1252 and 1482 on the former site of the Grand Mosque. Naturally enough, the cathedral embodies several design styles, but good old Spanish Gothic predominates. Behind the cathedral proper is a handsome domed basilica.
Since the late 15th century, the cathedral’s claim to fame is that it possesses the purported Holy Grail. The agate and gold chalice figures prominently in such mythic tales as Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, and Wagner’s Parsifal. Depending on which legend you prefer, the vessel was either used by Jesus at the Last Supper or by Joseph of Arimathea to collect Jesus’s blood as it dripped from the cross. The grail has its own chapel. An audio guide lets you tour the cathedral at your own pace; afterward, you can climb the stairs inside the unfinished 47m-high (154-ft.) Gothic tower known as Miguelete (“Micalet” in Valenciano) for a panorama of the city.
Or visit the Museo de la Catedral, which has minor works by Goya and Zurbarán.
Few buildings in Valencia are as old—or as looming—as its medieval cathedral, built in fortress-like style between 1252 and 1482 on the former site of the Grand Mosque. Naturally enough, the cathedral embodies several design styles, but good old Spanish Gothic predominates. Behind the cathedral proper is a handsome domed basilica.
Since the late 15th century, the cathedral’s claim to fame is that it possesses the purported Holy Grail. The agate and gold chalice figures prominently in such mythic tales as Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, and Wagner’s Parsifal. Depending on which legend you prefer, the vessel was either used by Jesus at the Last Supper or by Joseph of Arimathea to collect Jesus’s blood as it dripped from the cross. The grail has its own chapel. An audio guide lets you tour the cathedral at your own pace; afterward, you can climb the stairs inside the unfinished 47m-high (154-ft.) Gothic tower known as Miguelete (“Micalet” in Valenciano) for a panorama of the city.
Or visit the Museo de la Catedral, which has minor works by Goya and Zurbarán.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
