Viseu Cathedral 4.47

Viseu Cathedral is the Catholic bishopric seat of the city of Viseu, in Portugal. The church started being built in the 12th century and is the most important historical monument of the town. It is currently a mix of architectural styles, specially from the Manueline, Renaissance and Mannerist periods.The cathedral is located on a large and harmonious square, beside the old Bishop's Palace (now the Grão Vasco Museum) and in front of the Misericórdia Church of Viseu.HistoryArchaeological surveys have indicated that the site of Viseu Cathedral was occupied by an Early Christian basilica built during the times of Sueve domination (5th-6th centuries). Christian life in the city was disturbed in the 8th century with the arrival of Moorish invaders, who dominated Viseu until Ferdinand I of León reconquered it in 1058. The bishopric seat was reestablished in the mid-12th century, when the current cathedral building started being erected, but little remains from this early Romanesque building except for some architectural details. The church was greatly enlarged in the following centuries of the Middle Ages, assuming its present configuration as a three-aisled building with three Eastern chapels. Some Gothic chapels in the cloisters also date from this period.