The Cathedral

Today we visited the cathedral that is in the heart of Segovia, at the Plaza Mayor. The cathedral is of the gothic architecture style, so it is very ornate and has a lot of arches. This was not the original cathedral of Segovia, however. The original cathedral was closer to the outskirts of town, near the castle Alcazar. This cathedral was ruined in the civil war, so another was built and per the bishops request, it was built in a different location.

The Cathedral is massive: 105 yards long, 50 yards wide, and 33 yards tall. Imagine those dimensions, like a football field! It took over 200 years to construct because of lack of funds and difficulty to build. They had to construct it all by hand with these little tools which gripped the large stones by two little holes on each side of the stone:

This is a magnificent alter that holds the urn with San Fruto's ashes.

The entrance to the castle. The little man statue on top is the patron saint of Segovia: San Fruto

 Besides the main section that contains the alter and some pews, there are 17 capillas. Families were able to purchase a capilla, which is like a little chapel to hold the tombs of their family members. This created a private space for the family to be buried together and space for the family to visit and pray. These tombs are in the floor of the capilla. Also each of these capillas has specific art that tells a story from the bible.

This is an example of a capilla. A tomb and ornate art and statues.

Some of the tombs are in the floor and labeled like this!