Visit to the Vélez chapel
The architectural jewel of the Cathedral of Murcia
On the south side of the cathedral, a spectacular polygonal building anomalously protrudes towards the city. It is the Vélez Chapel, a very important Gothic-flamboyant work that alone deserves a visit.
It was commanded to build as a family pantheon by the “Adelantado Mayor del Reino”, Don Juan Chacón, Marquis of Velez, a prominent participant in the Granada War
On the outside, the Vélez chapel is polygonal structured in several bodies decorated with shields of the “Chacones” and “Fajardos”. In general, unlike the interior, a clear Renaissance style can be appreciated on the outside.
Other visually expressive elements are the savage’s tenants and the stone chain that runs along the top which, according to legend, was carved in one piece and some tour guides propose visitors to discover the closing link of this stone. According to legend, the artist who built it was slit to prevent another equal chain from being built and others say his eyes were removed.
A starry vault of dazzling beauty.
The decoration of the walls of the Vélez Chapel is rich, with marked late Gothic style with some Mudejar touches. The iconographic and decorative elements used are New Testament characters, angels, shields, animals, pineapples, grenades, Gothic leaves, etc.
In the chapel, there is an inscription that says: “La piedra no parece tallada a golpe sino solo a dedos o palillos, como si fuera cera” ("The stone does not appear to be carved at once but only by fingers or chopsticks, as if it were wax").
A large Crucified Christ presides over the chapel, and above the door on the left that gives access to the old sacristy, the pulpit and the balconies, there is an image of the Risen Christ together with Mary Magdalene and Mary Salome. The large central canvas, the work of Francisco García, dated 1607, represents Saint Luke, to whom the chapel is dedicated.
HOURS, TICKETS AND GUIDES
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