New Cathedral of Salamanca

World Heritage Site

The New Cathedral, or as the Spanish call it “Catedral Nueva”, is one of the most significant sights of Salamanca. Both the New Cathedral and the small adjacent cathedral are a part of the old town of Salamanca, which is a listed UNESCO world heritage site.

Due to the growing number of inhabitants and little space in the old cathedral, the new one was built further north on behalf of the bishop in 1513. After a long and changeable construction period, the cathedral was consecrated as an episcopal church of the Roman Catholic diocese of Salamanca in 1733. Later, in 1755, cracks were found in the the bell tower due to the earthquake in Lisbon that needed to be taken care of. The first architects of the church, Anton de Egas and Alonso Rodriguez, were succeeded by many others in the two centuries to follow. This way the cathedral nowadays intertwines Gothic elements with traces of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The cathedral's name was chosen to distinguish the two cathedrals. The older one was already built in the 12th century and dedicated to the “Virgen de la Asunción”, the assumption of Mary, and fascinates visitors through size and rich ornaments.

By car

After crossing the Spanish border, stay on the AP-8 for about 30km (20.5mi). Pay attention: Fees apply using this motorway. Take Exit 69 and merge into E-5/ E-80/ AP-1 leading towards Bergara/ Vitoria/ Gasteiz/ Burgos.  At Exit 101 merge into E-5/ N-622/ E-80 in the direction of A-1/ Burgos, then take the exit E-5/ E-80/ A-1 towards Burgos/ Madrid and follow the same motorway towards Burgos/ AP-68/ Logroño/ Bilbao taking Exit 328. Continue on the E-5/ E-80 for 145km (90mi), keep to the left and follow the Palencia/ Valladolid direction. Afterwards, continue on the E-80/ A-6/ A-62 and keep driving for about 81km (50mi) in the direction of E-82/ Zamora/ A-11/ Salamanca/ Portugal.

Upon your arrival in Salamanca, take Exit 234 leading towards the city centre. You leave the roundabout via the third exit (Ctra. Valladolid/ N-620a) and continue on the N-620a. In the next roundabout take the second exit (Calle Calzada Toro). In Glorieta Castilla y Léon leave at the second exit (Calle Calzada Toro). Follow the road until you turn into the Plaza de España, take the first exit of the following roundabout and turn into Calle Varillas after 550m (600yd). Keep to the left after 200m (240yd) and follow the Plaza Peso. Finally, after 400m (440yd) you can already see the cathedral.

There are no parking facilities near the cathedral. It's best if you find a car park way before arriving at the cathedral and then walk here.