Adventures in Spain - Part 2A of Eight

January 31-March 3, 2023 

The Old Town (Ciutat Vella)
Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption
of Our Lady of Valencia
Valencia Cathedral

A must place to visit in Valencia, is the Valencia Cathedral.  As I was to learn during my adventure, this is a Cathedral of extraordinary significance.  The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by the bishop of Valencia after the Reconquista, Pere d’Albalat, Archbiship of Tarragona, and was dedicated to Saint Mary by order of James I the Conqueror.  It was built over the site of the former Visigothic cathedral, which under the Moors had been turned into a mosque.  Valencian Gothic is the predominant architectural style of the cathedral, although it also contains Romanesque, French Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical element

The cathedral contains numerous 15th -century paintings, some by local artists (such as Jacomart), others by artists from Rome engaged by the Valencian Pope Alexander VI.

As I am reading through my Visitors Guide having pointed me to the Valencia Cathedral, I came across another WHAT!! Moment such as was my experience upon hearing of the bullring. 

This time, however, the information was much more profound and I felt myself in one of those moments one does not expect and will never forget.  I learned that within the Valencia Cathedral is the Holy Grail; the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.  The chalice is on display in the Chapel of the Holy Grail.  The how and the when the chalice found its way to Valencia Cathedral is as interesting as it is controversial.  There is the suggestion that there is archeological, documentary and historical data to support the relic’s voyage to its present display.  It could be that it arrived in Valencia in 1424 by the way of King Alfonso the Magnanimous.  There are thoughts that the artifact was taken by St. Peter to Rome, then later by a Vatican soldier to Spain.   

Valencia’s Holy Grail is recognized by the Vatican.  Along with Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela, the Vatican has designated Valencia as one of the world’s ‘Eight Holy Cities’ and as a ‘City of the Holy Grail’.  Two Popes, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, have held mass in Valencia with the chalice.

What if…….What if I was in the presence of the Holy Grail?  The Holy Chalice from which Jesus Christ drank at The Last Supper.

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