Cathedrals and Chapels Throughout Pamplona
series of images from Occidens Cathedral Heading link
Week 1 Heading link
Jaharra Griffin, MS Student
An integral part of Spain’s culture is religion and spirituality. With religion and spirituality come gathering places for worship and fellowship. These places are called cathedrals and chapels. Throughout Spain, there are many cathedrals and chapels.
Many have a history that was created in Ancient Times (3000 BC-AD 500), specifically the Occidens Cathedral in the region of Navarra. This cathedral has progressed through each of the four periods:
- Ancient Times: Pagan Tradition and Christian Faith
- Middle Ages: Resistance against Viking, Hungarian and Islamic invasions
- Modern Age: Renovation and Expansion of the West against Fragmentation and Secularization.
- Contemporaneity: Return to values of the Western culture against current time relativism
Each period is artistically expressed throughout the cathedral. During the visit to Occidens, we had the opportunity to visit various parts of the cathedral that was used at a point in time during history for daily living, such as dinner for the king and other officials. I enjoyed that in Occidens on the outskirts of the cathedral, were memorials for all the preceding kings, with areas for people to have their own special time. Throughout our visits to Pamplona, many castles also had chapels within them. This is another reminder of the connection between Spain and religion.
My favorite part was the visit to the museum created from the cathedral. It featured art like the crosses below and the figurines of the queens. The Occidens cathedral was one of my favorite visits in Pamplona and I recommend it if you ever get the chance to visit Spain.