Cathedral Exteriors

The Cathedral’s exteriors perfectly prepeare the visitors for what they’re about to see inside.

On the side of the Puerta de los Hierros, we can see the Baroque influences on the Cathedral, its full, detailed, and rounded decorations.

On the side of the Puerta de los Apóstoles and with the Lantern Tower we can see the structure’s Gothic past, its long lines and arches, its geometric shapes.

Finally, on the Puerta del Palau we go back to the church’s origins, with the Romanesque style.

Cathedral Interiors

Walking down the central nave of the Cathedral, you’ll find yourself facing the richly decorated altar. The twirling decorations in the shape of garlands, vegetation, symbols, and angels are typical of Renaissance and Baroque art.

Above your head, the magnificent lantern tower (cimborrio, in Spanish) lets in a considerable amount of natural light. To do this, its stone framework is reduced to a minimum, giving an appearance of lightness that is very difficult to achieve in such a construction. The windows used to be closed with colourful stained glass, but are now closed with alabaster stone. The endurance of the construction, the lack of supporting structures (like buttresses) and the enormous amount of light it lets in, make it an architectural prodigy.

All around, the structure of the interior if fairly open and horizonal, in typical Valencian Gothic style.

Chapels

The basic structure for the majority of the chapels is quite clean and simple, with semicircular arches and composite columns. Some of them are completely monochrome, while others have elements in darker red or terracotta tones.

It is in the pictorial decorations and reliefs that we find the heavily detailed ornaments. The predominant themes are vegetation and royal or biblical symbols.

Holy Chalice

The Capilla del Santo Cáliz is splendid brick chapel. Once inside, you’ll surely notice the the Gothic altarpiece with its impressive woodwork and polychrome images.

The wide central arch of this grandiose altarpiece frames the most valuable relic in Valencia’s Cathedral: the Holy Chalice.

It is protected by a lantern-shaped glass container and it rests delicate Gothic shrine.

El Miguelete

The Miguelete is the Cathedral’s Gothic bell tower, with a height of 63 m (207 feet) and a total of 207 steps.

The bell tower is made up of four bodies and has an octagonal floor plan. The terrace is in the third section, and right above it is the bells’ room. This space contains eleven of the total thirteen bells, which can still be operated manually.

In the highest part of the building are the bells used to mark the time. They are the Campana dels Quarts and the Miquel, which gives its name to the tower and is one of the largest bells in Spain*.* Most of the construction’s gargoyles are also found at the eight corners of this tower.

Museum

Inside the Cathedral’s Museum you’ll find all kinds of artefacts and precious relics.

Original paintings, sculptures, shrines, illustrated manuscripts and sacred items (like the Processional Monstrance of the city) can all be admired inside the Museum.