Mondoñedo Cathedral

Mondoñedo Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Mondoñedo Cathedral stands on the main square of Mondoñedo, a small town in the province of Lugo, Galicia, northern Spain, and a ticket is required for the cathedral and its museum. It is a stop on the Northern Way of the Camino de Santiago, and many pilgrims pass through the town. Mondoñedo is best reached by car, about an hour from Lugo and forty minutes from the coast at Foz, and it is known for its almond cake, the tarta de Mondoñedo, and its old town of stone houses.

Visitors often combine the cathedral with the Diocesan Museum, the Fonte Vella fountain, the old quarter of Os Muíños with its watermills, and the beaches of the Mariña Lucense coast, including the Cathedrals Beach, with its rock arches. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. Tickets for the cathedral include the museum, and they are sold at the entrance.

Visiting Mondoñedo Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built in the thirteenth century, begun in 1219, in a transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic, and it was enlarged and remodelled over the following centuries, with baroque towers added to the facade in the eighteenth century. The facade has a large rose window. Inside, the cathedral has three naves and is decorated with fourteenth-century frescoes of the Massacre of the Innocents, among the most important medieval paintings in Galicia. The cathedral holds a statue of the Virgin known as the English Virgin, which according to tradition was brought from Saint Paul's Cathedral in London by a Galician merchant who saved it during the Reformation. The carved choir stalls and a baroque high altarpiece, as well as an eighteenth-century organ, complete the interior. The cloister and the Diocesan Museum display religious art and silverwork.

The cathedral's rose window, from the thirteenth century, is one of the largest in Galicia. The frescoes of the Massacre of the Innocents show soldiers and mothers in dramatic scenes. The English Virgin statue is carved in wood and painted. The choir stalls are carved with scenes and figures. The high altarpiece is baroque, gilded and decorated with statues. The organ, from the eighteenth century, has a decorated case. The cloister, from the seventeenth century, is quiet and simple. The Diocesan Museum holds paintings by El Greco's circle, silverwork and sculptures. The cathedral's towers rise above the square. The square in front of the cathedral has a statue of the writer Álvaro Cunqueiro, who was born in Mondoñedo. The town's streets are lined with stone houses and balconies. Pilgrims receive stamps at the cathedral.

Mondoñedo Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime. Galicia's weather is mild and often rainy, and summer is the most pleasant season. The As San Lucas fair in October is one of the oldest livestock and horse fairs in Galicia, with celebrations in the town. Pilgrims pass through the town mainly from spring to autumn. Allow about forty-five minutes for the cathedral and museum, and taste the tarta de Mondoñedo in a local bakery. The Cathedrals Beach, with its natural rock arches, is about forty minutes' drive east and best visited at low tide.