The Domes of the New Cathedral (the Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción), the Historic City Center of Cuenca at 2,560 meters (8,398 ft) above sea level, the Southern Highlands, Ecuador.
Image by ER’s Eyes – Our planet is so beautiful.
Construction works started in 1885 and lasted for almost a century. This building combines many architecture styles, but Romanesque Revival is predominant. The cathedral is surmounted by three giant domes covered by striking blue and white glazed tile from Czechoslovakia. Its stained glass windows were created by Spanish artist Guillermo Larrazábal.
Its towers are truncated due to a calculation error of the architect. If they had been raised to their planned height, the foundation of this Church to the Immaculate Conception, would not have been able to bear the weight. In spite of the architect’s immense mistake, the skyline of its domes has become a symbol for the city. Its facade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor is covered with pink marble, brought from Carrara (Italy). When the Cathedral was first constructed 9,000 out of Cuenca’s 10,000 inhabitants could fit in the building.
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The Cathedral of Cuenca has six domes that are on the pre-ministry and the Central Nave. They are divided into three highs and three lows that are interspersed in their location. all domes have a flashlight inside. The three high domes and one of the low ones are covered by tile while the others maintain the brick structure.
The tall domes have a Renaissance style, the largest is on the Cruiser and has an inner diameter of 12 meters and has a height of 53 meters.
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There are two types of domes:
Low: constituted by spherical shells, seated directly on the arches.
Tall: linked or seated on the arches by means of four spherical triangles (called pendentives). On these pendentives sits a ring, from which a cylinder is generated (called drum) that is crowned by a vault banked. At the top of the dome, there is the Lantern, of Renaissance architectural design.
