La Catedral de Pamplona

This afternoon we went to the Cathedral. It was fascinating. There is on-going excavations in certain areas of the property that belongs to the Church. Some of the materials they have found date as far back as the 1st century after Christ. The Cathedral's architecture embraces everything from Romanesque to Gothic to Neo-Classical. It has some really amazing pieces of sculpture and art as well as a beautiful cloister. Here are pictures from our visit:

This represents the Ascention of the Virgin Mary. The colors appear to be contemporary with the sculpture.

Cloister looking into the museum

Inner garden of the Cloister with some graves.

Entrance into the Museum. The upper section represents Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. You see in the tree Zacharias waiting to see him.

Below is the Last Supper. Notice John resting his head on the Savior's chest. Then, laying on the ground in front of the table is Judas Iscariot; separated from the worthy Apostles.

This is the interior of the Museum; once the vestry of the Cathedral. It is filled with all sorts of "grotesque" figures and symbols of Christ. For example, a common symbol for Christ is the pelican because it said that in times of need the hen will pick at her breast in order for her chicks to eat of her flesh. The symbol suggests the power of the sacrament as a saving act.

Very strange monkey figure. Often monkeys represent sin or evil. In medieval churches and Cathedrals such figures were included as reminders of the deceptions of the world that are everywhere and that we must battle. In this same space were musicians, figures of Christ, and even a man slaughtering a boar.

This is a "píxide" from the first half of the 13th Century. "A pyx or pix is a small round container used in the Catholic, Old Catholic and Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated host, to the sick or those who are otherwise unable to come to a church in order to receive Holy Communion."

The arrival of the three Magi with their gifts.

Main altar of the Cathedral with the statue of the Santa María la Real and the Christ child. Below is a close up.

In front of the altar are the tombs of the Monarchs of Navarre (15th Century). The piece was built between 1413 and 1419. The bottom section is decorated with alabaster figures known as "plorantes" or "crying figures." Below are two up-close examples.

After our little adventure at the Cathedral we went with the students to this restaurant where Jannette and  ate earlier. The food was really very good; best salads and bocadillos.