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In 1521 the Bishop Alonso Manrique made public to the members of the Church, his intention of creating a new space, that would substitute the previous space denominated Main Chapel. Two years later the works begun, run by Hernán Ruiz I the Old, main master of the Cathedral, who designed the new building working till his death in 1547.
The new church was erected in the middle of the islamic building, occupying partly the space corresponding the Abd al-Rahman II’s Enlargement and Almanzor’s.
It had a rectangular plan, of three naves and with a big transept, remarking a great verticality heading on the horizontality of the muslim building. The resold was a building unique in the world, and not only for the enormous caliph quality architecture, for the way the could / were able to fit perfectly the muslim building into a christian one. Despite the great number of architects that have continued the work and changed Hernán Ruiz’s first project, the original shape has been kept along the years.
Hernán Ruiz I the Old, didn’t destroy the original caliph naves, he reused them, incorporating then as lateral naves, in series of three archs, where, the different parts, were covered by gothic crosswork vaults. Among the main naves and the lateral three big pointed archs were developed, whose aim is to hold up the pushes of the choir nowadays interrupted by the works of the lateral chapels, wooden carved chairs, organ.
The same year of the beginning of the works the Bishop Alonso de Manrique was moved to Seville his charge / place was occupied by Fray Juan Álvarez de Toledo (1523-1537). During his term of office the works progressed a lot, even they could built a passage cornice, that ensured the walls of the transept, even the central naves were closed, the ones that go around the head and the feet of the new church.
Don Leopoldo de Austria, turned Juan Álvarez de Toledo over. He runs the destiny of the Church since 1541 till his death in 1557. Don Leopoldo de Austria was Emperor Charles I’s uncle. He was a cultured person and leaded many other works in our city. During his term of office the rhythm of the works didn’t decrease and in less than ten years, the walls of closing of the head and arms were erected. Besides he elected Hernán Ruiz II “the Young” main master of the works, substituting his father, Hernán Ruiz I, who died in 1547.
With Hernán Ruiz II the Young the works got another shape. He was pupil of Diego Siloe, this young architect respected the measures and shapes left by his father, as you can appreciate in the gothic crosswork vaults, in the arm of the transept. However in one of the wall he employed a renaissance sketch inspired in Sebastiano Serlio’s architecture.
It’s curious, but after the Hernán Ruiz death, the works stopped during thirty years. Till 1597, the weren’t begun. The Bishop Don Francisco Reinoso in Baeza arrive a Córdoba and the ask for advise, his friend Diego de Praves became the main master of the Cathedral of Valladolid. This projected a big vault that now covers the nave of the choir. Moreover, Diego de Praves designed the elliptical vault that covers the transept and the big arch of the choir, with its renaissance characteristic, and he opens with a window.
The works were performed by the architect from Valladolid and the supervised by Juan de Ochoa, main master of the Town Hall, who is considered one of the most important exponents of the Mannerism in our city.
The decoration was run by the fitter Francisco Gutierrez Garrido, finishing it in 1602, and completing a vast iconographic program. On 7 th September 1607 the works of the Main Chapel and choir were finished. Then a new bishop came: Fray Diego de Mardones. |
