Salamanca - Old Cathedral

(Local Name: Catedral Vieja) Immediately adjoining the south side of the New Cathedral is the Romanesque Old Cathedral of Santa María de la Sede, which is entered from the south aisle of the New Cathedral. It is difficult to get a general view of both cathedrals; the best view of the exterior of the Old Cathedral, however, is from the Patio Chico, which is reached from a doorway in the south aisle of the New Cathedral. The Old Cathedral, one of the most splendid buildings of its period in Spain, was begun about 1100 and was probably ompleted before 1200. From the Patio Chico there is a view of the chancel, with a magnificent tower-like dome over the crossing, known as the Torre del Gallo from the figure of a cock which surmounts it.