Vitoria-Gasteiz - Catedral de Santa María

The Visigoth King Leovigild founded a city called Victoriacum on the occasion of a victory over the Basques in the 6th century. In 1181, King Sancho the Wise of Navarre founded what is now Vitoria with the name Nueva Victoria. This was an extension of the already existing Basque settlement of Gasteiz, which was developed into a fortress against Castile. In 1199, the city was besieged for nine months and finally taken by the troops of Alfonso VIII of Castile, who annexed the city to the Kingdom of Castile. The city was gradually enlarged and was granted city rights in 1431.


Today, Vitoria-Gasteiz is a lively city with more than 250,000 inhabitants.

The Catedral de Santa María was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. From 1496 to 1861, it served as a collegiate church. In 1862, the church was designated the cathedral of the newly created diocese of Vitoria until the new María Inmaculada Cathedral was completed in 1914. Hence often named "old cathedral".

Structural problems such as the inadequate foundations became apparent when the church was extended in the 16th and 17th centuries. The still visible displacements were countered with reinforcements and additional buttresses in the interior. These were partially removed during a major renovation in the 1960s, which ultimately led to the closure of the cathedral in 1994 due to dilapidation.

The church has been open for services again since 2014

The Gothic side portal. Most of the sculptures have had their heads cut off