Pilgrims on the Way

The reason that “cathedrals” are called what they are is that this is the home of a bishop, and more specifically a bishop’s throne, called a cathedra. A cathedral is just the building that houses the cathedra. This particular one may be found in the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. The one commonality I have noticed in cathedra is […]

Sometimes, you just need to break out of your two-dimensional space and look up. This is the ceiling of the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. One of the things that I love about the interior of most Spanish churches is that they are mostly so simple and elegant – except of course the altars, which are explosions of vibrancy […]

This is the central image of Saint James from a side-chapel altar in the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. It’s always good to see an old friend! As a bonus, I’m including a photo of the entire altar and retablo below, so you can see it in context. The whole place is simply stunning. Most of the side chapels […]

This is a long look down one of the side aisles of the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. The nave is off to the left, and five side chapels (and a door) are on the right. In the dim distance, you can just make out the chapel to Saint Jerome (Capilla de San Jerónimo penitente). Pilgrim with camera provided […]

In addition to the high altar in the sanctuary of the main nave, the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga has fifteen smaller chapels. This statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, found in the Capilla de la Milagrosa (which doubles as the baptistry), particularly struck me. It’s a little kitschy, but there’s something […]

The retablo mayor de la catedral de Astorga was designed and built in the latter half of the 16th century by a major figure of the Spanish renaissance, painter and sculptor Gaspar Becerra. In its time, this stunning polychrome retablo was considered groundbreaking in its design and execution. It remains breathtaking, even almost five centuries later. Date: 20 April 2016 […]

When one enters the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga, the first altar one sees is this rather incongruous site on the outside of the central choir. This neoclassical gem is realized in marble, jasper, alabaster, and bronze. From here, one cannot see the high altar – the choir structure intervenes – although side altars and chapels stretch down both […]