Ourense - Catedral de Ourense

The Romans were already here and utilised the hot springs. They built a bridge over the river, the Ponte romana, creating an important communication route, which was of course secured by fortifications.

In the 5th century, Ourense became the seat of a bishopric. As the capital of the kingdom of the Suebi, Ourense flourished in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Suebi king Teodomiro († 570) built the first cathedral in Ourense after converting from Arianism to Catholicism.

Constant raids by the Moorish conquerors and the Normans devastated the city to such an extent that it remained almost uninhabited for several centuries. It was rebuilt in 1071 under King Sancho II of Castile. In the following centuries, the city gained importance as a bishop's see, but also as a trading centre. In the 13th century, Ourense was an important trading centre in Galicia due to its geographical location and its large Jewish community. The economic decline began after the expulsion of Ourense's Jews in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs. In the centuries that followed, Ourense's importance steadily declined.

The earliest cathedral appears to have been a church dedicated to Santa María la Madre. In 550, the Suevian king Chararic built a second church here dedicated to St Martin of Tour. The cathedral was however repeatedly destroyed over the centuries by the Moors and the Northmen who invaded the city. Today's building was constructed as a Romanesque church in the 12th and 13th centuries. Gothic additions followed until the early 16th century. The consecration of the high altar was already in 1188.

The "Pórtico del Paraíso" reproduces, in a simplified manner, the structure of the "Pórtico de la Gloria" of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, being later than the latter.

It is a smaller-scale recreation of the Pórtico de la Gloria in Santiago. This one was creared about fifty years after it. The current polychromy dates from the 18th century, and was probably made over the original Romanesque one, of which remains can be seen in the figures on the pilasters. The intention of this sculptural work was to instruct the ancient medieval people in the sacred scriptures.

From left to right, the Old Testament prophets are depicted, while on the right are nine of the twelve apostles, and in the central arcade are the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse with musical instruments. The smaller arch on the right also depicts the Last Judgement.

The Elders of the Apocalypse - right side