Plasencia Cathedral (Old & New)
Plasencia's extraordinary dual cathedral — a Romanesque-Gothic old nave fused to an unfinished Renaissance masterpiece — is one of Spain's most architecturally fascinating sacred spaces. Wandering between the two buildings feels like flipping through 500 years of stone-cut ambition in a single afternoon.
Two Cathedrals for the Price of One
The Catedral Vieja dates to the 13th century and retains a hushed, fortress-like gravity; its Romanesque cloister is one of the best-preserved in Extremadura. The adjoining Catedral Nueva was begun in 1498 to designs by Enrique Egas and later touched by Juan de Álava, but was never fully completed — giving it a wonderfully raw, open-ended quality.
Inside the new cathedral, look up at the soaring ribbed vaulting and then hunt out the richly carved choir stalls by Rodrigo Alemán, a Flemish master whose playful, sometimes bawdy misericords are worth a long, close look. The altarpiece glows with gilded detail that catches the afternoon light beautifully.
Practical Tips for Your Visit
The cathedral complex sits on Plaza de la Catedral in the heart of the old town; you enter both buildings on a single combined ticket, which also covers the diocesan museum upstairs. Allow at least 90 minutes to do it justice.
Early morning visits on weekdays are quietest. The exterior is equally impressive at dusk when warm stone turns amber — walk around the full perimeter for the best angles.
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