The Basilica Of The Assumption Of Our Lady Of Valencia

Art, the way that many cultures have expressed their ideals and culture through out time. Many artists from multiple cultures have arisen and created masterpieces of art: Everything from paintings, to massive architecture, and statues. The massive piece of art I will be focusing on today will be the Basilica of the Assumption of our Lady of Valencia or The Valencia Cathedral for short. This massive architecture shows a compelling example of Gothic art during this era. The cathedral first came to be after the Christian’s re-conquered Valencia back from the Arab communities, who had conquered it from the Spaniards in 723 C.E. While under the Moors (Arab Empire) control the old church that stood there became a mosque. After the Spanish acquired Valencia back, the bishop of Valencia ruled the mosque was to be replaced for a Basilica. This was to strengthen the support for the Christian religion and to recruit more people to the church. This effort was made to rekindle and bring piece of mind to the people in the region who stayed while the Moors soldiers ruled. So in 1238 C.E. the Valencia Cathedral was born. As gothic style of art swept Europe, the pope at the time decided to adopt this style of art. As the book Art: A Brief History states, â€Å"By the middle thirteenth century builders had thoroughly mastered the design principles and building technology of Gothic architecture and began to focus attention on elaborating and refining the vi sual elements of the style.†