Murcia Cathedral

Murcia Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Murcia Cathedral stands on the Plaza del Cardenal Belluga in the centre of Murcia, south-eastern Spain, and entry to the cathedral is free outside services, while the cathedral museum and the tower, which can be climbed for views over the city and the surrounding orchards, are ticketed. It is famous for its baroque facade, one of the masterpieces of Spanish baroque.

Walking tours of Murcia combine the cathedral with the Casino, a nineteenth-century social club with lavish interiors, the Salzillo Museum, which holds processional sculptures by Francisco Salzillo, the Romea Theatre and the tapas bars around the Plaza de las Flores. Murcia is about an hour from Alicante by train, and it is close to the Mar Menor lagoon and the city of Cartagena. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. Local buses and trams connect the station and the university with the old town.

Visiting Murcia Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built on the site of a mosque after the Christian conquest of Murcia in the thirteenth century, and construction began in 1394 in the Gothic style, continuing for centuries. As a result, it combines Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements. The main facade, known as the Imafronte, was built between 1737 and 1754 by Jaime Bort, in a spectacular baroque style, with columns, statues and curves, designed like an altarpiece in stone. The bell tower, begun in the sixteenth century and finished in the eighteenth, rises about ninety metres and combines several styles. Inside, the cathedral holds the Chapel of the Vélez, built in the late fifteenth century in an elaborate late Gothic style, with a star vault and carved decoration, and the Renaissance Junterón Chapel.

The high altar holds an urn with the heart and entrails of King Alfonso X the Wise, who asked to be buried in Murcia. The museum displays sculptures and silverwork. The Chapel of the Vélez was built for the Marquises of los Vélez and its walls are covered with carved chains, shields and figures. The Junterón Chapel has a Renaissance relief of the Nativity. The choir stalls, carved in wood, came from a monastery. The cathedral's museum holds a Roman sarcophagus with the story of the Muses, a Gothic altarpiece and a Salzillo sculpture of Saint Jerome. The tower's ramp, wide enough for horses, winds up inside, and its top has bells and views of the Segura river and the mountains. The Door of the Apostles, on the south side, is Gothic and carved with figures of saints. The square in front of the cathedral is the heart of the old town.

Murcia Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime. Murcia is very hot in summer, and spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons. Holy Week in Murcia is famous for its processions with Salzillo's sculptures, and it is followed by the Spring Festival, with the Bando de la Huerta, a celebration of the region's farming traditions, and the Burial of the Sardine parade. The tower is best climbed in the morning or late afternoon. Allow about an hour for the cathedral, museum and tower, and visit the Casino nearby. Evening walks around the square, when the facade is lit, are especially pleasant in summer.