Burgos, Spain
Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos
A thirteenth-century Gothic cathedral in northern Spain with lace-like spires, the tomb of El Cid, and a star-vaulted lantern that floods the crossing with light.
The twin spires look like they were carved from lace rather than stone. They rise above the city in an openwork pattern of pinnacles, tracery, and crockets that seems too delicate to support itself, and yet they have stood since the fifteenth century. The cathedral was begun in 1221 under Bishop Maurice of Burgos, who had seen the French cathedrals at Paris and Bourges and wanted something comparable for Castile. He got it. The interior is dense with chapels — there are nineteen of them — each one funded by a noble family trying to outdo the others. The Condestable Chapel behind the main apse is the grandest, with a star-shaped vault and the tombs of the Constable of Castile and his wife in carved alabaster. At the crossing, look up. The octagonal lantern tower has a star vault that lets light fall through openwork tracery like a stone kaleidoscope. El Cid — Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the medieval warrior — is buried under the crossing with his wife Jimena, marked by a simple slab in the floor. The Golden Staircase by Diego de Siloé, connecting the nave to a street-level door, is Renaissance showmanship grafted onto a Gothic frame. Everything here is layered — century over century, style over style — and it holds together.
Diocese: Archdiocese of Burgos
Style: Gothic with Renaissance and Plateresque additions
What to See
Start outside to take in the west facade and the spires — they are best seen from the plaza below, where you can appreciate the full height. Inside, go directly to the crossing and look up at the lantern. The star vault is one of the most photographed features of Spanish Gothic architecture. El Cid's grave marker is in the floor beneath it. The Condestable Chapel behind the apse is the richest single space — note the alabaster tombs and the heraldic decorations. The Golden Staircase in the north transept is a theatrical piece of Renaissance architecture. The cloister has Gothic arches and several carved tombs. The Papamoscas, a mechanical clock figure that opens its mouth on the hour, is mounted high on the interior west wall and delights children.
Pilgrim Notes
Burgos is on the Camino de Santiago, about two-thirds of the way from the French border to Santiago de Compostela, and many pilgrims stop here. The city is reachable by train from Madrid in about two and a half hours. There is an admission fee for tourists. Mass is celebrated daily and the cathedral is free to enter during services. The feast of the Assumption on August 15 draws large crowds. Burgos is cold in winter and pleasant in summer, unlike southern Spain. The nearby Cartuja de Miraflores, a Carthusian monastery with an extraordinary altarpiece by Gil de Siloé, is worth a side trip.