Vélez chapel, Gothic chapel in Murcia Cathedral, Spain

The Vélez Chapel stands in the apse of Murcia Cathedral, on the Plaza de los Apóstoles. Its exterior is severe: smooth walls pierced by three large arches, the central one holding the Fajardo coat of arms flanked by two wild men, and a stone chain running around the perimeter. Inside, a richly ornamented star vault carries thistles, flowers, canopies, shields and pinnacles, mixing Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar and early Renaissance elements.

Construction of the chapel began in 1490 under Juan Chacón, Adelantado mayor of Murcia, on the site of an earlier Gothic chapel belonging to his father-in-law, which he had demolished. It was completed on 15 October 1507 by his son Pedro Fajardo y Chacón, as recorded in the inscription on the frieze. The chapel was also known as San Nicolás and dedicated to San Lucas.

The chapel is also known as San Nicolás and is dedicated to San Lucas. The stone chains around its exterior are said to refer to Christian captives freed by the Fajardo family in their campaigns against the Moors, a lineage emblem repeated in the interior reliefs.

You can visit the chapel during the Cathedral's regular opening hours, and guided tours help explain the architectural details and decorative elements. It is worth allowing time to examine the stonework and decorative details closely.

The chapel's construction pushed beyond the cathedral's boundary into public space, a privilege the Fajardo family took for itself. The stone chains encircling the exterior are said to refer to Christian captives freed by the Fajardos in their campaigns against the Moors. The archdeacon Junterón later insisted his own chapel must rival it.