the stunning catedral de santa maría in burgos

The 13th-century Catedral de Santa María in Burgos is among the most beautiful of Spain’s many cathedrals, and one of its largest after The Giralda at Sevilla. Begun in 1221, it was modified in the 15th and 16th centuries. Mostly Gothic, it actually combines many styles, having been embellished over the centuries with Renaissance and Baroque elements by different master builders and architects. It has a magnificent edifice, graceful spires, and sits in the midst of the grand city’s medieval streets.

Designated a World Heritage Site, it is filled with art treasures and artifacts.  There are 21 outstanding chapels, including St. Thecla, St. John, and St. James.  Behind the high altar is a statue of St. James the Moor-slayer, Santiago Matamoros.

The altarpiece of the Chapel of St. Anne is exquisitely detailed.

The impressive Renaissance Golden Staircase, Escalera Dorada, was designed by Diego de Siloe.

Inside the center of the Chapel of the Condestables (the Constables) are the recumbent statues of the founders, Pedro Fernández de Velasco and Mencía de Mendoza.  These marble statues display exquisite and realistic detail in the features, hair, clothing and jewelry.

Directly under the star lantern at the heart of the cathedral, lies El Cid, or Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099), a Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain. His wife Jimena lies by his side. El Cid was a Muslim title of respect; he is the great legendary son of Burgos. He died in Valencia in 1099 after having recovered the city from the Moors. I didn’t take a photo of the tomb, but below is the Cofre (chest) of El Cid.

*September 22, 2018*

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“PHOTOGRAPHY” INVITATION:  I invite you to create a photography intention and then create a blog post for a place you have visited. Alternately, you can post a thematic post about a place, photos of whatever you discovered that set your heart afire. You can also do a thematic post of something you have found throughout all your travels: churches, doors, people reading, people hiking, mountains, patterns, all black & white, whatever!

You probably have your own ideas about this, but in case you’d like some ideas, you can visit my page: photography inspiration.

I challenge you to post no more than 20-25 photos (or more, as I did here!) and to write less than 1,500 words about any travel-related photography intention you set for yourself. Include the link in the comments below by Wednesday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  When I write my post in response to this challenge on Thursday, June 13, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, every first, second, and third (& 5th, if there is one) Thursday of each month (I’ve now added the second Thursday). Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!