P449 - Spain - Cathedral of Malaga in Andalusia

Cathedral of Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

Cathedral of Malaga is one of the most valuable Renaissance jewels of Andalusia, Spain. It is inside the limits that the missing Arab wall marked, forming a great architectonic set with the close Alcazaba and the Castle of Gibralfaro. It was constructed between 1528 and 1782, following the planes of Diego de Siloe. The interior of the cathedral is made in a Renaissance style too. The cathedral, with a rectangular plant, is composed by three naves, being the one of the centre the wider, but all of them are the same high. The set of chairs in the choir, work of Pedro de Mena, is a real work of art.

The facade, on the contrary, is baroque style and it is divided in two floors, on the floor below there are three arcs and inside of them there are doors separated by marble columns. Over the door there are some medallions. Those of the laterals doors represent the patron saints of Malaga, St Ciriaco and St Paula, while the one in the center represents the announcement of God.

The north tower rises until the 84 metres of height and is the second-highest cathedral in Andalusia, behind the Giralda of Seville. The south tower is unfinished. Some claims such as a sign at the base of the tower state that funds were used to aid the British colonies gain independence from Great Britain, while other investigations of registries deduce that the money may have been used in the preparation of the “Way of Antequera”. The fact is that this condition of being unfinished gives to the Cathedral the nickname of “La Manquita”, meaning in English, "The One-Armed Lady".

Internally a series of artworks fills the temple, among them are the gothic altarpiece of the Chapel of Santa Barbara and the 16th century tombs of the Chapel of San Francisco. The Chapel of Incarnation shows a neoclassic altarpiece of 1785, work of Juan de Villanueva and carved by Antonio Ramos and Aldehuela with sculptures of Salazar and Palomino, and Saint Paul's beheading painted by Enrique Simonet in 1887 during his stay in Rome.

At the moment La Junta de Andalucia is executing the reform of the covers of the Cathedral because of leaks and dampness which have appeared in the last few years.

马拉加（Málaga）是位于西班牙南部安达卢西亚、地中海太阳海岸的一个城市，也是西班牙的第二大港口。据2005年估算，它拥有人口558,287人，而整个马拉加都市圈人口约为1,074,074，是西班牙五大都市圈之一。马拉加被群山和两条注入地中海的河流所环抱，其主要收入来源于农业和旅游观光业。與伊比利亞的其他城市一樣，融入了伊斯蘭和基督的文化。

画家巴勃罗·毕加索、19世纪政治家安东尼奥·卡诺瓦斯·德尔卡斯蒂略和演员安东尼奥·班德拉斯均出生在马拉加。

马拉加大教堂是建在城中清真寺古老地基上的。教堂的细节建造，大都沿用了意大利样式，也掺入了些巴洛克风格。教堂始建于16世纪，工程持续了三个多世纪，至今仍未完工，还有一座钟楼待建。因此得到一个“独臂夫人”的雅号，这一地区是马拉加最闪亮的一角。

References sources : wikipedia