Cuenca Cathedral

Cuenca Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Julian
Catedral de Santa Maria y San Julián
The Gothic Revival façade in 2020
40°04′43″N 2°07′44″W / 40.07849°N 2.12901°W / 40.07849; -2.12901
Location	Cuenca
Address	Plaza Mayor
Country	Spain
Denomination	Catholic
Website	catedralcuenca.es
History
Status	Cathedral
Dedication	Julian of Cuenca and Mary, mother of Jesus
Dedicated	1196 and 1208[1]
Architecture
Style	Gothic, Romanesque, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1182
Administration
Metropolis	Toledo
Diocese	Cuenca
Clergy
Bishop(s)	José María Yanguas Sanz
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural:
Designated	1996 (20th session)
Part of	Historic Walled Town of Cuenca
Reference no.	781
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	23 August 1902
Reference no.	RI-51-0000081

The Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Julian is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Cuenca, Spain. The building is one of the earliest Spanish examples of Gothic architecture, built at a time when the Romanesque style still predominated in the Iberian Peninsula. In particular, the cathedral is characteristic of the Norman and Anglo-Norman architecture of the 12th century, of which Soissons Cathedral, Laon Cathedral and Notre-Dame de Paris are representative examples.

Work began in 1182 and was largely completed by 1257, although further renovations continued. In the 15th century, the Gothic chevet of the cathedral was reconstructed. The exterior was almost renovated in the 16th century. In the 17th century, the tabernacle chapel (capilla del Sagrario) was built, and the facade and the towers were reformed. The facade was partially reconstructed in the neo-Gothic style in 1910 to repair damage caused when the bell tower (the Giraldo) collapsed in 1902 after being struck by a lightning. However, there are plans and projects to complete the work once a technical consensus is reached.

The cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuenca. It is dedicated to Mary and to Saint Julian of Cuenca, the second bishop of the Diocese and patron saint of the city.^[2]