The New Cathedral

Why settle for just one cathedral when you can have two? Built side by side and practically fused together, these two remarkable churches are easy to tell apart once you look closely. The older one is more modest, more austere, while the newer cathedral is all about grandeur and display. One glance and you’ll know which is which. The more elaborate one is the newer of the two. Construction began in the early 16th century, when Salamanca was booming thanks to its growing university population, and the original cathedral could no longer handle the crowds. Rather than expanding the old structure, King Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarch, built a brand-new place of worship. He enlisted some of the finest architects from Toledo and Seville to design it. This was a bold move at the time, since cities usually tore down old buildings to make way for new ones. Known as the “last breath of Gothic art,” because it was erected just as the Renaissance was beginning to take hold, the new cathedral was built on a Latin cross plan, with three soaring naves and chapels branching out like petals. A massive baroque dome adds to the sense of vertical drama, while the bell tower reaches nearly 93 meters into the sky. The decoration is rich, intricate, and sometimes surprising. If you look closely at the side facade, you’ll spot something strange: an astronaut and a devil licking an ice cream cone. These playful figures were added during restoration work in 1992, as a nod to the sculptors' tradition of leaving their personal mark on a building. If you walk a bit further to see the main façade, prepare to be amazed by its lace-like carvings. The stone seems to melt into delicate scenes of the Nativity, the Epiphany, and the Crucifixion. If you step inside, don’t rush it. The interior is a breathtaking mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles—a living timeline of sacred art and architecture. Declared a national monument in 1887, Salamanca’s New Cathedral is not just a landmark, it’s a masterpiece.