Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo — Attraction in Oviedo

Amazing place to visit that is rich with history and many interesting things to see. Great place to end Camino del Norte and the start of El Primitivo if you are a pilgrim. There's special discount for the pilgrims (they also provide you with a stamp on your credential) and you are provided with a hand held device that you can hold it up to your ear like a phone and it will tell you about things you see in the location you are at within the cathedral. The device I was given spoke in English but it seems other languages are available as well. Even without group tour guide the device provided a lot of detail throughout the cathedral (it even tells you where to look before going into the detail) and it's nice to go around the cathedral at your own pace and taking time to absorb all the details. I've seen few children with the device and they seemed to have fun listening to the story.

I saw a group enter with a tour guide towards the end but for me, they seem to move too quickly. The church has done excellent job with the device guided self tours which itself took about an hour and taking time to look around each section of the cathedral but you can choose to just look through the cathedral quickly with the map provided at the entrance.

There's a gift shop towards the end of the tour which seemed reasonably priced for a cathedral that is visited by many people. If going solo or with few people/a family, I'd recommend going into the church when there's no group tour going on inside as it was really quiet initially but got very loud when they entered the cathedral.

Whether you are religious or not, it is definitely a great...

It is also known as Oviedo Cathedral. Established during the reign of Alfonso II el Casto, king of the Kingdom of Asturias, in the 9th century, the cathedral follows the Asturian Pre-Romanesque style, a distinctive architectural style that emerged in the region. Over the centuries, it underwent multiple expansions and reconstructions, resulting in a mix of architectural styles, with Gothic being the dominant style, alongside Romanesque, Baroque, and Renaissance elements. The cathedral's bell tower, reaching a height of 80 meters, is one of the key features of Gothic architecture. There is a saying, "He who does not visit Oviedo before going to Santiago is a fool," emphasizing the cathedral's deep connection to the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), making it an important stop for many pilgrims. Inside, the cathedral houses the Cámara Santa (Holy Chamber), one of Spain's most important repositories for Christian relics. The chamber holds sacred relics, including the Cruz de la Victoria (Cross of the Victory), the Cruz de los Ángeles (Cross of the Angels), and the Santo Sudario (Holy Shroud). In addition to its religious significance, the cathedral also served as the royal mausoleum of the Kings of Asturias, further highlighting its importance in the history...

Turned away at the entrance. We were told we need to have a disability access card in order to request access to the wheelchair ramp. When we presented the disabled parking from the USA (and the national parks disability pass), we were told that’s not good enough. Unfortunate, as this was not our experience visiting Notre Dame in Paris or Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The guard at the charge post (yes, you have to pay to even enter this church… I know, Jesus would love that) said he needed the right documents to justify opening the side door. Terrible embarrassment in front of the small children in our group who now know the Catholic church does not care about their disabled grandfather. When we asked what disability access card we should apply for, he just shrugged at us. This could be why there is no line to enter, the Cathedral turns...