Ávila - Cathedral

A striking feature of the cathedral interior, with aisles flanking the nave, is the red and white granite stonework of the walls, which dates from the early building phase. From the crossing there are fine views of the dome and the stained glass in the transepts. The richly carved choir-stalls (1544) in the coro were the work of Cornelis de Holanda and Isidro Villoldo, who took as their model the stalls by Diego de Siloé in the church of San Diego in Valladolid. The outer walls of the coro are richly decorated with reliefs in Plateresque style.

The retablo in the Capilla Mayor was begun in 1499, largely finished by 1508 and finally completed in 1522. Leading artists like Pedro Berruguete, Juan de Borgoña and Santa Cruz took part in the decoration of the church with paintings and sculpture. In the trassagrario, to the rear of the high altar, is the alabaster tomb of Bishop Alfonso de Madrigal (d. 1455), in Italian Renaissance style (1518). The bishop was known as El Tostado (the "burnt one") because, as a great reader, he frequently burned himself with his candle; he is shown seated, reading.

There are nine side chapels containing some very handsome tombs; the finest are the Capilla de San Antolín in the north transept, with a magnificent retablo, and the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Gracia in the ambulatory, with the tomb of Bishop Sancho (d. 1181), the first bishop to be buried in the cathedral.

On the south side of the cathedral, entered through a Romanesque doorway, is the 14th century cloister.

The last room in the Cathedral Museum contains only one thing - a magnificent silver monstrance by Juan de Arfe (1571), 1.7m/5ft 7in. high.

In the south transept is the entrance to the Cathedral Museum, which has five rooms. In the adjoining room, which mostly contains liturgical utensils and sculpture, the items of most interest are a very beautiful Isabelline screen and (behind, to the right) an El Greco portrait. In other rooms are silver articles, vestments, paintings, large music-books and sculpture, including works by Berruguete and Juan de Frías.

The finest room, following an anteroom, is the Sacristy, notable particularly for its ribbed vaulting and an alabaster group by Isidro Villoldo and Pedro de Salamanca.