Tarragona Cathedral
| Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Mary Catedral Basílica Metropolitana y Primada de Santa María Catedral Basílica Metropolitana i Primada de Santa Maria |
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The main façade
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Tarragona, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°07′09″N 1°15′29″E / 41.11917°N 1.25806°ECoordinates: 41°07′09″N 1°15′29″E / 41.11917°N 1.25806°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman |
| District | Archdiocese of Tarragona |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Gothic |
The Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. It was declared a national monument in 1905.
There is little information about the origins of the church. A chapter is known to have existed in Tarragona in the late 11th century, but the current edifice was built only from 1154 by order of archbishop Bernat Tort, according to the Augustinian rule, to be entrusted to monks from the monastery of St. Rufus in Avignon.
The original, early-12th-century cathedral had perhaps a single nave and a large apse, and was in Romanesque style. At the time attention was posed to defensive elements, such as the massive bell tower, annexed to the sacristy. A new project was launched in 1195, changing the church's plan to a basilica one, adding two aisles and a transept with four new secondary apses, covered by cross vaults in Gothic style. The construction benefited of donations from bishops and kings Alfonso II and Peter IV of Aragon.
Part of the new edifice was opened to worship under bishop Aspàreg de la Barca (1215–1234). In 1250 Pedro de Albalat ordered the construction of a tower-dome over the transept and in 1277 Bartolomeu de Girona was commissioned the realization of the main portal. The tympanum and the apostles figures of the latter are however were executed by Jaume Cascalls and his workshop (including Jordi de Déu) around 1375. The new cathedral was consecrated by archbishop Juan of Aragon and Anjou, son of king James II, in 1331.
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