Cathedral of Mondoñedo

To the north of the Lugo province, in the middle of a valley that alternates between crops and trees, is the town of Mondoñedo, the greatest collection of landmarks pilgrims come across in Galicia on the Camino del Norte. 

It is a small locality with an important cultural legacy. It was constructed around the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which, in contrast to typical medieval cathedrals, is at the town's lowest elevation point and borders the urban quarter.

Right in front of this cathedral was the execution site of Marshal Pardo de Cela, a regional medieval figure who made history and legend after confronting Queen Isabella of Castille, who ordered his death.

The cathedral began construction on this new site in the first half of the 13th century in a sober and austere Roman style, similar to Cistercian architecture at the time.

Following this monastic sobriety, which seemed to be the source of inspiration of its foremen, it is a building with three naves, with a rib vault above pointed arches that escapes any superfluous decoration.

Its unmistakable facade is composed of three ogival arches corresponding to the three naves of the interior, and a 14th-century central rose window with polychromatic stained glass.

Highlights of the artworks housed in its interior include the late 16th-century mural paintings in a Gothic style. These show scenes of the Slaughter of the Innocents and episodes of the life of San Pedro.

A door lets us access the cloister, constructed between 1636 and 1641. It is a plain building in a Herrerian style, a rarity in Galicia, with semicircular arches supported by a balustrade with spheres. The central Gothic cross is a remnant of the pre-medieval cloister.

To meet the needs of the curia, the canons building, the Episcopal Palace, the orchard, and annexes were attached to the basilica in the 19th century, now forming the collection of buildings we can visit today.

The cathedral museum hosts an interesting collection of 15th-century English alabasters, huge 16th-century flamenco tables, and significant silver and marble liturgic items: staffs, plates, chalices, monstrances, processional crosses, and candelabras.