{"id":14737,"date":"2025-02-11T12:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T11:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doloresherrero.com\/?p=14737"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:21:35","slug":"the-gargoyles-of-oviedo-cathedral-in-spain-guardians-of-an-asturian-treasure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doloresherrero.com\/en\/the-gargoyles-of-oviedo-cathedral-in-spain-guardians-of-an-asturian-treasure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gargoyles of Oviedo Cathedral in Spain: Guardians of an Asturian Treasure"},"content":{"rendered":" \r\n

In this first entry dedicated to Asturian gargoyles<\/strong>, we are going to discover the unique and suggestive gargoyles of Oviedo Cathedral (Spain)<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

This beautiful city in the Principality of Asturias is home to a Gothic cathedral with a long history, dating back to the 8th century, and a great artistic wealth. The history of the Sancta Ovetensis<\/em>, the relics and treasures it contains and the fusion of styles it encompasses (pre-Romanesque Asturian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance), make it one of the most important monuments in the heritage of Asturias and Spain.<\/p>\r\n

Work began on the Gothic cathedral around 1385, and around 1500 it was decided to build the western portico and the two towers of the fa\u00e7ade, although in the end only the south tower was erected: a work in flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance style, which was begun around 1508 and finished at the end of the 16th century, under the direction of Rodrigo Gil de Honta\u00f1\u00f3n.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n\"g\u00e1rgolas\r\n

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Diversity in stone: the typologies of Oviedo\u2019s gargoyles<\/h2>\r\n

We then move on to see the cathedral\u2019s gargoyles. They are distributed in different areas of the building, and we have grouped them by typology <\/strong>to have the clearest and most complete formal and thematic view possible of the whole. Some gargoyles are deteriorated<\/strong><\/a> or badly damaged and it is impossible to establish their typology with certainty, so we will not show them. On the other hand, many of them have a guttering block above the figure, which serves as a drain, and which can be seen in gargoyles in other buildings such as Salamanca Cathedral (Spain)<\/strong><\/a>, where Rodrigo Gil de Honta\u00f1\u00f3n also worked.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n\"g\u00e1rgolas\r\n\r\n \r\n

Fantastic or mythological animal<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

We shall begin with the fantastic or mythological beings <\/strong><\/a>The first is the griffin<\/strong><\/a>, which is represented in several of the tower\u2019s gargoyles. These figures have their heads tilted to one side, a dynamic position that makes them highly unique.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Griffin<\/h3>\r\n\n\t\t