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Idanha a velha header - Origenes de Europa

Catedral e Idanha a Velha

Portugal, Idanha-a-Velha (Castelo Branco)

Catedral e Idanha a Velha

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DESCRIPTION AND FORMAL ANALYSIS

Currently referred to as the «Cathedral», this church stands on the foundations of another early Christian church, built in the time of the Suevi and integrated into the kingdom of the Visigoths from 585 onwards. The baptistery close to the south door dates from the time of the Suevi, although the new basilica is the work of the Visigothic period.

Later, the mediaeval church was built on the site of this building, with some traces still being visible today, most particularly the Gothic door from the late 14th century with its simple pointed arch. Although built on earlier ruins and reusing Palaeochristian materials, its main construction may date from the Hegira 3rd / AD 9th century, with considerable remodelling in the AH 10th / AD 16th century.

The interior of the church now houses the Museu Egitanense, a museum exhibiting a whole host of inscriptions that represent an important collection of epigraphs from the period of Roman domination in the Iberian Peninsula.

This is a large basilica-shaped building. According to Palaeochristian or Muslim liturgical guidelines, which were practically the same in the Iberian Peninsula, the basilica was organised into seven aisles. The central nave is distinctive for its width, decoration and the height of its axial arches. The 12 arches, out of the 14 that existed originally, are all horseshoe arches, in a not very emphatic style characteristic of the early period of Iberian Islam.

For many years this building was deemed to be a Visigoth cathedral, because a baptistery had been found close to the south façade and also because, from the beginning of the 17th century, the high altar was moved to the north, where it remains to this day, suggesting the possibility that there may have been an earlier Christian liturgical space consisting of three bays.
These hypotheses are now disputed because the baptistery found is reputedly older than the building in question and therefore attached to another earlier church. On the other hand, the existence of a Palaeochristian basilica with its high altar facing north can be excluded.

Having discounted these hypotheses, and in spite of the incongruities, we are left to fit this building into the campaign of construction that was carried out throughout the town in the AD 9th and 10th centuries (AH 3rd–4th century), when Idanha-a-Velha (formerly Egitânia) played an important historical role in the frontier region between al-Andalus and the kingdom of León.

VIRGILIO LOPES

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Información de la localidad

Catedral de Idanha-a-Velha
Outros monumentos e locais a visitarMuseu, Lagar, Puente romano
Herança natural
Recreações Históricas
Festival de Interesse Turísticot
Feiras
Guias EspecializadosMonsanto, Idanha a Nova
Guias EspecializadosNo
Visitas GuiadasYes
AcomodaçõesMonsanto, Idanha a Nova
RestaurantesMonsanto, Idanha a Nova
Arte
Bibliografia
Vídeos
Local na rede Internet
Monumento ou local a visitarCatedral e Idanha a Velha
EstiloRomano, antigudade tardia e medieval
TipoCatedral
ÉpocaSS. VII-X
Estado de ConservaçãoGood
Grau de proteção legalMonumento Nacional
Endereço para correspondência
Coordenadas39° 59' 47" N 7° 08' 41" O
Propriedade, dependência
Possibilidade de visitas do público em geral ou apenas de especialistas
General public
Necessidades de conservação
Horários e condições de visita
Valor do ingresso
Trabalho de pesquisa em andamento
Acessibilidade
Sinalização se está inscrito na rota
Bibliografia
- Almeida, F. de, Egitânia História e Arqueologia, Lisbon, 1956. - Almeida, F. de, História da Arte em Portugal, Vol. 2, Lisbon, 1986, 43–46. Hayyan, Ibn, Crónica del Califa 'Abderrahman III al-Nasir Entre los Años 912 y 942 (al-Muqtabis V), Madrid, 1981, 187.
- Real, M. L., “Inovação e Resistência: Dados Recentes Sobre a Antiguidade Tardia no Ocidente Peninsular”, in IV Reunião de Arqueologia Cristã Hispânica, Barcelona, 1995, 66–67.
- Torres, C., “A Sé-Catedral da Idanha”, Arqueologia Medieval, no. 1, Porto, 1992,169–78.
Vídeos
Sites de informaçãovisitportugal.com
cm-idanhanova.pt
LocalizaçãoIdanha-a-Velha (Castelo Branco)