Cathedral of Santa María, Museum and Bell Tower

The cathedral of Santa María is at the top of the city, between the Plaza de San Salvador and the Plaza de Herrasti, where its address is. It was begun as a fortress-church at the end of the 12th century, at the end of the reign of Ferdinand II of León or the beginning of that of Alfonso IX, with a Romanesque Latin-cross plan and three apses, and was closed with Gothic vaults in the 13th and 14th centuries. It has been a national monument since 1889. The ticket includes the museum and the cloister, with an audio guide, and the visit takes an hour and a half.

What to see

Start outside. The Puerta de las Cadenas, on the south side, has over the arch five sculptures from the early 13th century, the Saviour and four apostles, and above it a gallery of twelve Gothic Old Testament figures from around 1230. On the west, under the tower, the Pórtico del Perdón or de la Gloria, with the Coronation of the Virgin in the tympanum. On the north, the Puerta de Amayuelas or del Enlosado, with a 14th-century rose window. The tower and the west facade, by Juan de Sagarbinaga, date from 1764 to 1772 and were badly damaged in the War of Independence: the marks of the bombs can still be seen.

Inside, the choir is the great piece: 72 walnut stalls in two rows carved by the workshop of Rodrigo Alemán between 1502 and 1507. The main chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century to plans by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, of 1540, and the Pilar chapel is from 1748 to 1753. The cloister mixes two periods: the west and south galleries are Gothic, from the 14th century, and the other two, Plateresque, were built between 1526 and 1539 with Pedro de Güemes; part of its sculpture was redone by J. Tarabella in 1911.

Opening hours and tickets

It is open every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00; admission and sales end half an hour earlier, and the visit may be limited by services. General admission costs €8 with audio guide; €7 for over-65s and pensioners; €6 for young people aged 12 to 18, students and large families; €5 in groups of more than 15. From Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 11:30 it is free, except on public holidays and their eves, without audio guide.

Guided visits and tower

From Friday to Sunday there are guided visits: the sacristy at 12:00 and 16:15, the cathedral at 12:30 and 16:30, with an audiovisual on the portico, and the bell tower at 13:30 and 17:30. On the cathedral's website, the cathedral guided visit costs €10, the tower €5.50, cathedral with tower or with sacristy €12 and all three €14; they ask for a minimum of five people. Book on 923 48 14 24, on 656 44 62 57 or at [email protected], and tickets are bought on its website.

When you leave, the Plaza Mayor is a few minutes away and the wall walk passes right beside it.