17th century
La estructura arquitectónica de la girola fue levantada entre 1621 and 1633 según las trazas de Juan de Naveda.
The ambulatory of Oviedo Cathedral
The ambulatory, or deambulatory, of the Cathedral of San Salvador surrounds the main chapel and is one of the spaces that best illustrates the Baroque transformation of the church. It was built in the 17th century to facilitate the movement of pilgrims who came to venerate the relics of the Holy Chamber, without interfering with services in the main chapel.
Ambulatory or deambulatory of Oviedo Cathedral, viewed from the south transept. Photo: Enric / Wikimedia Commons.
Designed for pilgrims: the ambulatory made it possible to organise the flow of visitors to the Cathedral and the Holy Chamber more effectively, while reinforcing Oviedo’s role as a pilgrimage destination.
History de la girola
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Cathedral Chapter considered it necessary to adapt the church to the large number of pilgrims arriving in Oviedo. The layout of the Gothic cathedral made it difficult for worshippers visiting the relics of the Holy Chamber to move around, so it was decided to build an ambulatory around the east end.
To carry out the work, it was necessary to acquire part of the land belonging to the neighbouring monastery of San Vicente. Construction took place between 1621 and 1633 under the direction of the architect Juan de Naveda, one of the leading figures responsible for the work carried out on the Cathedral during that period.
The new ambulatory met both a practical and a religious need. In the context of the Counter-Reformation, devotion to saints and relics took on particular importance, and the new space made it possible to create a devotional route around the main chapel.
Architecture: del gótico al clasicismo barroco
Although the ambulatory was added to an essentially Gothic cathedral, Juan de Naveda designed a classically inspired space intended to blend with the earlier architecture. The massive piers are articulated with Tuscan-order pilasters, while the design of the vaults recalls the ribbed vaulting of the medieval church.
The ambulatory is arranged around five chapels, of which the central one is wider and deeper. Between them rise the piers which, in addition to their architectural function, support numerous niches containing sculptures.
17th centuryI
The sculptural decoration and altarpieces were added later, turning the space into one of the Cathedral’s most interesting Baroque ensembles.
The five chapels y sus retablos
The five chapels de la girola recuperan simbólicamente la antigua dedicación del templo del Salvador a los apóstoles. La mayor parte de su decoración actual corresponde al siglo XVIII y está estrechamente vinculada al escultor ovetense José Bernardo de la Meana and his workshop.
- Chapel of Saint Paul — its altarpiece was made between 1754 and 1758 and is dominated by a depiction of the Conversion of Saint Paul.
- Chapel of the Transfixion — it preserves the scene of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ, from an altarpiece donated to the Cathedral in 1588 by Canon Tirso de Avilés.
- Chapel of Saint Peter — it occupies the central position in the ambulatory, and its altarpiece, made between 1754 and 1758, is the work of José Bernardo de la Meana.
- Chapel of Saint Andrew — its altarpiece was made between 1758 and 1762 by José Bernardo de la Meana.
- Chapel of Saint Bartholomew — completa el recorrido de las five chapels; su retablo, también de José Bernardo de la Meana, fue ejecutado entre 1758 y 1762.
Altarpiece of Saint Peter, in the central chapel of the ambulatory of Oviedo Cathedral. Photo: Enric / Wikimedia Commons.
A varied ensemble: the altarpieces feature different designs. Their variety of structures, images and reliefs means that a walk through the ambulatory reveals many different details.
The sculptures in the niches
The piers separating the chapels contain a group of eighteen niches. They depict saints and martyrs whose relics are preserved in the Cathedral, as well as Fathers of the Church, prophets, founders of religious orders and saints who have traditionally enjoyed particular popular devotion.
Among the most notable figures is Saint Eulalia of Mérida, a work by Alejandro Carnicero made in 1743, together with several sculptures by José Bernardo de la Meana, including Saint Leocadia, Saint Jerome, Saint Emeterius, Saint Lucretia, Jeremiah and Isaiah.
Saint Eulalia of Mérida, en una hornacina de la girola de la Oviedo Cathedral. Photo: Enric / Wikimedia Commons.
Saint Blaise
His presence is linked to devotion to the saint as a protector against illness and to the existence of a relic in the nearby monastery of San Pelayo.
Saint Anthony the Abbot
Traditionally much venerated as the protector of animals, he forms part of the ambulatory’s extensive devotional programme.
Saint Eulalia
The patron saint of the diocese and the city is represented by a sculpture by Alejandro Carnicero, one of the ensemble’s distinctive works.
Mary Magdalene and Saint Jerome
These penitential figures mark the beginning and end of the route through the ambulatory and reinforce the religious meaning of the space.
El Salvador and the pilgrimage tradition
Near the entrance to the ambulatory from the south aisle stands one of the Cathedral’s most significant images: the sculpture of El Salvador, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated. It is an over-life-size polychrome stone sculpture dating from the 14th century and has stood in this location since the 17th century.
Christ is shown frontally, blessing with one hand and holding the orb in the other. For centuries, the image has been closely associated with pilgrims passing through Oviedo on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Medieval image of El Salvador, Oviedo Cathedral. Photo: Carlos Teixidor Cadenas / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Oviedo and the Camino: the traditional link between the Cathedral of El Salvador and the pilgrimage to Santiago is summed up in the well-known saying: “Whoever goes to Santiago and not to El Salvador visits the servant and forgets the Lord.”
Pope Saint John Paul II prayed before this image during his visit to Asturias on 20 August 1989.