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Cathedral of Saint James the Apostle

The cathedral combines a Gothic church of the 14th to 16th centuries with a Neo-Gothic façade and tower added in the 19th century. Inside you walk through three aisles with rib vaults, a triforium and Neo-Gothic stained-glass windows, as well as an ambulatory with radiating chapels and a main chapel with a circular altar supported by twelve columns. On the north side, the Door of the Angel, also called the Pilgrims' Door, shows a flamboyant Gothic doorway with reliefs inspired by the lauburu and a pilgrim's shell. The sacristy keeps carvings of the four Fathers of the Church from the old main altarpiece, and beneath the altar you can go down to a crypt-oratory where part of the wall of the first church, predating the founding of the town, is preserved. The 64-metre tower holds eleven bells. The church offers tourist visits during continuous hours from Monday to Saturday, with free entry for residents of Bizkaia and children under 13 on proof of status.

Things to do at Cathedral of Saint James the Apostle: 5 missions

• Explore the route through the chapelsExplore the route through the chapels, which begins with that of the Virgen del Pilar in the Gospel aisle and continues clockwise.
• Walk the ambulatoryWalk the wide ambulatory of the east end.
• Admire the ornamental triforiumAdmire the ornamental triforium, which embellishes the building and runs round it on all sides except the closing wall at the west end.
• See the Angel DoorSee the Angel Door, on the north side as the entrance to the cloister.
• Look at the towerLook at the tower, 64 metres high and made up of three sections.

Near Cathedral of Saint James the Apostle

Source: catedraldebilbao.blogspot.com.es