Salamanca Cathedral — Attraction in Salamanca

Our 2019 Spain travel was filled with adventure, great food & wine and history.

Salamanca was the last city on our tour prior to returning to Madrid to fly back home.

On one of the coldest mornings, we visited the Cathedral and were at the Church as it opened…

Situated on the banks of the River Tormes, the ancient Spanish city of Salamanca is one of the oldest university towns in Europe, with a rich collection of Renaissance, Roman, Gothic, and Baroque monuments.

Among them are two impressive cathedrals, the Old Cathedral and the New Cathedral. The Old Cathedral, constructed at the end of the 12th century, is in the Romanesque style with the outstanding Gallo Tower, and it is dedicated to Saint Mary of the Sea. It is closed to the public and only opened during very special occasions. After in the beginning of the 15th century, it was decided that Salamanca needed a bigger and more splendorous cathedral.

The result was The New Cathedral, constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the Gothic and Baroque styles, commissioned by Ferdinand V of Castile of Spain, the Catholic King. It is one of the ultimate manifestations of Gothic architecture and one of the last examples constructed in Spain.

What is interesting about this cathedral is that among the ornate carvings on the façade are those of a faun eating an ice cream, a lynx, a bull, a crayfish, and an astronaut (complete with boots, helmet, and breathing apparatus on his back with tubes attached to the front of his suit). Photographs of this astronaut figure have been circulating online via email, forums and blogs for years now, generating a considerable amount of debate.

However, the origins of the carving are neither ancient nor mysterious.

The contemporary symbols were added in 1992 during restoration work on the cathedral, when one of the artisans engaged in the project chose to carve strange figures into the stone, as a way of signing their works.

The symbol was added by stonemason Miguel Romero under the supervision of Jeronimo Garcia, the person responsible for the restoration, who reportedly chose an astronaut as a fitting symbol of the twentieth century.

We bought the tickets and the audio guided tour, pressing the corresponding buttons in each room

From the moment one enters and admires The struggle of Adam and Eve as they separate, commit sin and have to deal with life outside paradise, we were enchanted.

The Cathedral is so filled with treasure that it is overwhelming, the statues, paintings, walls, organ, and altars are exquisite.

The last supper sculptures have such detail!

The choir area is filled with wood sculptures, in the center, an eagle.

We spent countless hours listening to the audio guide, learning, admiring, in awe of all the Cathedral has to offer.

We thank GOD for our good fortune to have visited...

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The Catedral Nueva. It's big, it's old although called new, and it has an astronaut and an ice-cream cone among its carvings.

It's big, very, very big.

Not quite as big as the Mezquita in Cordoba, but when you think that in the 16th century they didn't have the power tools, the electric lifts or lights, and certainly no Health and Safety imposed by the European Union, then you wonder just how they managed to build it.

No Engineering degrees either, so I am always slightly concerned about the ceiling falling in . . .

TIP 1: You have to pay to go in, it's fairly pricey (about 5€) but it's worth it, as you get a Buy One Get One Free entry to the Old Cathedral too - the two join inside.

TIP 2: Climb up. Climb up to the tower, and walk around the rooftop promenade to get a great view of the city.

TIP 3: Don't miss looking for the astronaut, and the griffon who is holding an ice-cream cornet with three scoops of ice-cream in. It's not clear what flavour they are. :-)

Yes, a 17th century cathedral with a very clear carving of an astronaut and an ice-cream cone, three scoops please, no sprinkles.

You're not imagining things, it's not some mis-interpretation of an image of a Saint or a Virgin. Look at the photos . . .

They are on the façade of the New Cathedral, around the doorway, on the left hand side, among the leaves.

As to how they got there . . . it was twenty-odd years ago, when they were restoring the doorway, that the local stonemasons decided to leave their own mark on this glorious building.

Thus earning their own immortality. Miguel Romero and an unnamed colleague,...

This is the younger of the two major cathedrals that make up the Salamanca Cathedral complex. It was built between 1513-1733 and features Gothic, Baroque and uniquely Spanish Plateresque styles which prevailed during the cathedral's long construction period.

Entry price for the combined ticket (€10 per adult) also includes entry into the Old Cathedral, cloister & historic chapels as well as the Episcopal Palace exhibition rooms just across from the cathedrals at Plaza Juan XXIII.

You first enter the New Cathedral. But do make sure to spend a few minutes before or after your visit to admire the exterior of the New Cathedral. It is considered masterpiece of Plateresque architecture.

Inside there is much to see including 22 points of interest marked by blue panels. There is also audio guide service so you can better understand what you are seeing.

Highlights include the Chorus with its elegantly carved choir seating. This is a masterpiece of Spanish Baroque. Just behind, there is another Baroque gem in the finely decorated inner dome just in front of the main chapel. The main nave is rounded a series of chapels. Most notable for us was the Golden Chapel (stop 22) situated just before exiting the New Cathedral and entering the Old Cathedral.

On the whole, the New Cathedral is a very impressive attraction, combined with the Old Cathedral, Cloister and Episcopal Palace, it is a great opportunity to spend 2-3 hours of quality sightseeing here...