The Cathedral of Saint Nicholas of Bari was a 13th century church built to mark the Muslim’s handover of Alicante to Prince Alfonzo of Spain. Rebuilt again in the 17th and 18 centuries, its sober exterior is an example of the early Renaissance that belies the elegant Spanish Baroque decorative art inside.
The stark facade is marked by elegant red encryptions. The story goes that after university finals, students and their families would celebrate the occasion with bullfights. The students showed their youthful prowess in the bullring. Blood from the fights was mixed into paint used to make their mark on the cathedral walls, an early form of grafitti. Some of the script ends in lines marked by “V”s for victory and jubilation. And a sundial is painted near the cathedral’s entry to mark the passing time.
The interior of the Cathedral shows a soaring Renaissance architecture of pale domes and Roman arches.
And the opulent ornamentation on the front and side altars is bright and celebratory with gold leaf, intricate floral patterns and richly ornamented columns. Brilliant paint colors stand out against the pale stone walls.
From a local neighborhood, the 45 meter blue dome of the cathedral is a compelling icon in the Alicante cityscape.
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