Orense - Cathedral Catedral do San Martiño
Near the Plaza Mayor stands the Cathedral of San Martín, the finest cathedral in Galicia after that of Santiago de Compostela. It was built in the 12th and 13th Centuries and rebuilt in the 16th and 17th Centuries after severe damage by earthquakes and war. Both the side doorways have rich sculptural decoration, and even finer is the rich Romanesque sculpture of the Pórtico del Paraíso ("Porch of Paradise") on the west front (accessible only from inside the cathedral), which is modeled on the Pórtico de la Gloria in Santiago.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
Cathedral
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On the central arch can be seen figures of the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, and on the central pier of the doorway are the Virgin and the Apostle St James (Santiago), with the four Evangelists to the right and four prophets to the left.
Things to See
Cathedral - Interior
The presbytery, with an equestrian statue of St Martin, is closed off by a fine Plateresque screen. In the north transept is the tomb of Bishop Vasco Mariño. Behind the altar is a large Gothic retablo (14th C.). The Capilla del Cristo (1567-74), a masterpiece of Galician Baroque, has an altar with a baldachin and a very ancient figure of Christ with natural hair, traditionally believed to have been washed ashore on the Galician coast in the 14th century.
Diocesan Museum
The Diocesan Museum in the chapterhouse contains fine 13th century enamels and eight 10th Century chessmen in rock crystal.
