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La Catedral de Burgos

Castile in 1219. In the old Cathedral of Santa María de Burgos, King Ferdinand III marries a German princess. Until then, Castilian rulers had married women from the Iberian Peninsula. With Beatrix, a granddaughter of Frederick Barbarossa, new networks and avenues of influence opened up for the king and the realm. The young ruler took the wedding as an opportunity to demonstrate this by building a new cathedral. Perhaps it was also a suggestion from Bishop Mauricio, who had married the couple, as he had studied in Paris and seen the new cathedrals, which towered high into the sky in a completely new style.

Burgos was already a wealthy city at that time; Castilian rulers were crowned here, and it prospered thanks to its location on the Way of St. James and important trade routes. Two years after the wedding, the king and bishop laid the foundation stone, and almost forty years later, the cathedral was completed, apart from the towers and later alterations. Today it is considered the first Gothic church in Spain, overwhelming in its size and ornamentation, and characterized by the diverse architectural influences of the time.

The first architect, whose name is not known for certain, is believed to have been a Frenchman who took his inspiration from the cathedrals of Paris and Bourges. The extent of what was possible back then, before the reign of the famous royal couple Isabella and Ferdinand, is evident in the Moorish stylistic elements crafted by Mozarabic or Muslim artisans. A rose window in the west facade also displays a Star of David. This was requested by the Jewish community of Burgos, who financed this window. Particularly impressive is the star vault of the crossing tower, which is depicted in the present-day doorway.