Given the condition that the town of Castelló acquired as the county’s capital, from the initial construction of the Santa Maria Church it was sought to grant it the status of a church with a cathedral structure. Despite the effects that the architectural structure of the cathedral has undergone in various wars, it has not lost its quality. Today, both valuable examples as well as the county and ecclesiastical funerary sculptures from the 14th century, the reliefs from the collection of vault keys and, above all, the excellent sculptural ensembles on the main façade and the alabaster altarpiece of the main altar (a major piece from the Catalan Gothic period) can all be seen. These elements form a repertoire of medieval art that can only be found in cathedral churches. It has a 16th-century organ located on a baroque gallery and a parish treasury containing a valuable collection of religious silverware. It received the category of Basilica in 2006.
The photograph, dated 1955, is part of Joaquim Fort's excellent and rich photographic collection, located in the Museum of l'Empordà. The image conveys the feeling of large dimensions inside, and moreover, this can be better appreciated if we make the comparison with the group of children sitting on the bench. The slender, long columns, as well as the lamps hanging around the main nave, are very interesting. The latter are currently not there.
Literary Text
Dotze cavallers vetllen al llindar de la Catedral;
sota el peu, les armes del noble casal que en féu pia ofrena.
Són els dotze apòstols que, ufans en la glòria santa del portal,
per les inclemències s’han tornat mesells a sol i serena.
De llur vida humana se’n saben miracles, pecats i virtuts.
Quan hom els esguarda amb la bonhomia de l’auri alabastre,
sant Tomàs és l’esca de la refiança dels més descreguts;
heus ací sant Pere, que amb claus de mestressa, devora la clastra.
Sant Jaume –i li lleven heroiques batalles!– sembla un menestral,
i l’altre sant Jaume, si ningú l’esmenta, ja ni en fa cabal;
sant Joan, estantís, barbamec, té en l’aire sa mirada casta.
L’un porta xambergo, la barba arrissada o un magne missal;
parlen en col·lotge de doctes disputes d’art teologal,
i amb el nas xafat repten la mainada, sempre iconoclasta
COL·LOTGE DELS APÒSTOLS, de Carles Fages de Climent
Text divulgat al web mapaliterari.cat d'Espais Escrits. Xarxa del Patrimoni Literari Català
Location
-
basílica de Santa María de Castellón de Ampurias, Plaça de Mossen Cinto Verdaguer, Castellón de Ampurias, Provincia de Gerona 17486, España
Add a review