San Pablo is a church in Zaragoza, Spain. Its original

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

- Mudéjar building dates to the late 13th/early 14th-century; later it was enlarged and modified several times.

History

The original 14th-century edifice had a single nave with four

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

s with vaults and flying buttresses, with chapels, ending with a transept and a pentagonal apse. In 1343 a Mudéjar tower was added, originally near the entrance, but now enclosed in the main body of the building. In the 15th century, two aisles were built. Later, until the 18th century, several chapels were opened on the right side, the front and the back of the church.

Overview

The Gothic portal (15th century) has a varied sculptural decoration, featuring images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the jambs, and of Christ seated between the Virgin, Saint John and Saint Blaise on the tympanum. The tower has an octagonal plan, and, like the church, is made in brickwork, part of which are decorated. The lower section is not visible from the exterior, as it is currently embedded within the church: it has an Arab-style frieze. The upper floors have Mudéjar-style decorations, mullioned windows and small arcades. At the top is a pyramidal spire. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

('' retablo'') of the main altar, in gilded and polychrome wood, was executed by Damián Forment (1515–1518).

Conservation

In 1931 the church was designated a monumento nacional. In 2001 the church was included in the World Heritage Site

Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Mudéjar architecture of Aragon is an aesthetic trend in Mudéjar style in Aragon, (Spain) and has been recognized in some representative buildings as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The chronology of the Aragonese Mudéjar occupies 12th to the ...

Sources

* {{Authority control Pablo Gothic architecture in Aragon Mudéjar architecture in Aragon Museums in Zaragoza 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain 14th-century establishments in Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Zaragoza World Heritage Sites in Spain