The many lives of Ourense Cathedral

Ourense Cathedral stands on the site of a church destroyed and rebuilt many times. The city of Ourense itself was once called Aureliana, a Roman name, and today’s cathedral was built on the ruins of a Romanesque church. In 240 AD, the Romans built the first of many bridges across the River Miño, the only way out of the city, and Ourense became a symbol of Roman power. But in 550 AD, the kingdom of the Suevi overthrew Roman rule in Galicia and founded a new capital at Braga.

Ourense, abandoned and isolated, soon fell into obscurity – and a battle over the name. The bishops of Ourense claimed their see was in 750 AD when the Archdiocese of Compostela was founded. The city’s revival came in the 12th century. The leadership of Bishop Lorenzo Ibáñez gave rise to a new, largely Gothic cathedral. By the mid-16th century, the cathedral had grown to the size it is today, with a Latin cross plan, a rose window, and an impressive series of cloisters.

The cathedral is dedicated to St Martin, and you can still see a silver-plated shrine and a statue of St Martin from the 19th century inside. More religious objects are stored safely away.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons