19/05/2004
19/05/2004 The guided tours around the restoration work being carried out on Santa María Cathedral offer the added attraction of revealing the very latest results of the archaeological excavations. In addition to increasing our knowledge of the origins of the ancient settlement of Gasteiz, they have also enabled experts to chart the construction of the building and its influence over the city¹s urban development.
1.- As you can see in the illustrations, the current cathedral building is based around a primitive church and the city walls, both of which date from the second half of the 11th century.
2.- After the conquest of the city by Alfonso VIII (1200) and its destruction by fire shortly afterwards (1202), two important decisions were made: that of starting construction work on a large church and that of restoring the existing building, which had been damaged by the fire. This "construction strategy" fulfilled a twofold mission - providing the congregation with a place of worship while the new building was completed, and at the same time guaranteeing the soundness of the city´s defences.
3.- During the reign of Alfonso X (1252-1284), the foot of the building
was completed. During this process, which took various generations, the
entranceway located on the northern side of the walls underwent a series
of modifications.