Pamplona Cathedral
| Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption Catedral de Santa María de la Asunción | |
|---|---|
Pamplona Cathedral | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| District | Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela |
| Rite | Roman |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Location | |
| Location | Pamplona, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 42°49′11″N 1°38′28″W / 42.81972°N 1.64111°W |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Neoclassical, Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque, Renaissance |
Pamplona Cathedral or Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic church in the archdiocese of Pamplona, Spain. The current 15th century Gothic church replaced an older Romanesque one. Archaeological excavations have revealed the existence of another two earlier churches. The Neoclassical façade was designed by Ventura Rodríguez in 1783. It has a 13th-14th-century Gothic cloister that provides access to two other Gothic rooms: the Barbazan chapel and the refectory. The Mediaeval kings of Navarre were crowned and some also buried there. The Navarrese Cortes (Parliament) was held there during the early modern ages.
Since its foundation the church has been dedicated to the invocation of Santa María de la Asunción (Saint Mary of the Assumption), whose feast is celebrated on August, 15. It is possible that, due to a metonymy phenomenon, the ownership of the building has been associated with the titular image of the temple, Santa María la Real.
José Goñi Gaztambide – a historian specialized in the episcopal history of the diocese of Pamplona – explains, in part, the matter by echoing the petition made in 1905 to the council by the chaplain, Mariano Arigita Lasa, a relevant figure who became archivist of the Navarra Provincial Council, the Pamplona City Council and the cathedral. Arigita had initially requested to return the "primitive title" of Santa María la Real de Pamplona. Goñi Gaztambide's reply read like this:
Regarding the first point, it should be pointed out that the original title was Santa María de Pamplona. The one of Santa María la Real de Pamplona has never been documented. (from the Spanish quote «Respecto al primer punto conviene puntualizar que el título primitivo fue Santa María de Pamplona. Jamás se encuentra documentado el de Santa María la Real de Pamplona.»)
— José Goñi Gaztambide, La catedral de Pamplona
Following the Canonical Coronation of Santa María de Pamplona, on September, 21 of 1946, "the title became popular Santa María la Real de Pamplona which does not mean that it was his true dedication."