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Church of Santa Cruz (Old Cathedral)

It is the oldest church in Cádiz and was its cathedral from 1263, by the will of Alfonso X the Wise, until the see moved to the New Cathedral in 1838. It was built in the Pópulo district, in the Plaza de Fray Félix, on a site that tradition associates with a former mosque. The medieval church was badly damaged by the fire of the Anglo-Dutch attack of 1596 and was rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century as a hall church with three aisles separated by Tuscan columns. Outwardly it is sober: its monumental side doorway was dismantled and reused in the New Cathedral, and only three coats of arms remain above the lintel. The tower stands apart from the body of the church and ends in a polygonal spire of glazed ceramic. Inside, the gilded wooden high altarpiece, the Genoese chapel and an image of St Anthony of Padua attributed to La Roldana stand out.

Things to do at Church of Santa Cruz (Old Cathedral): 4 missions

• Count the twelve niches of the high altarpieceInside, on the gilded wooden altarpiece designed in 1640, look at the central section with twelve niches holding apostles and count the ones you can see.
• Find the Genoese chapel with floral decorationLook for the Genoese chapel, with its coloured marble altarpiece of 1671 and its floral decoration, and find the wooden crucifix from the early 17th century.
• Look at the glazed ceramic spire of the towerWalk around the church and look at the tower, separate from the building, with its polygonal glazed ceramic top.
• Look for the three coats of arms above the doorway lintelFrom the Plaza de Fray Félix, find the plain doorway and the three coats of arms that are its only decoration.

Near Church of Santa Cruz (Old Cathedral)

Source: Web oficial - Turismo Ayuntamiento de Cádiz