Spain Guide
Valencia and Murcia
Catedral
Opening time: Daily: summer 7am–1pm & 6–8pm; winter 7am–1pm & 5–8.30pm; winter hours vary
The Catedral towers over the mansions and plazas of the centre. Begun in the fourteenth century and finally completed in the eighteenth, it's a strange mix of styles, dubbed "Mediterranean Gothic". The outside is more interesting architecturally, particularly the west side with its Baroque facade, and the tower rising on the north, which you can climb for great views of the city.
Inside, the most remarkable aspect is the florid Plateresque decoration of the chapels – particularly the Capilla de los Vélez (1491–1505). Originally designed as a funeral area, but never completed, it's one of the finest examples of medieval art in Murcia and one of the most interesting pieces of Hispanic Gothic; an urn in the niche of the main altar contains the heart of Alfonso the Wise. The museum has some fine primitive sculptures and, above all, a giant processional monstrance – 600kg of gold and silver twirling like a musical box on its revolving stand.
Across the Plaza Cardenal Belluga stands the newest addition to Murcia's architectural heritage. Rafael Moneo's extension to the ayuntamiento closes the square with a strict regular building that faces the cathedral facade with a rhythmic twentieth-century version of the Baroque retablo.