The ancient Spanish city of Salamanca, situated on the banks of the River Tormes, is one of the oldest university towns in Europe with a rich and elegant collection of Renaissance, Roman, Gothic and Baroque monuments. Among them are two majestic cathedrals built between the 12th and 18th centuries. The New Cathedral, constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, features late Gothic style with a Baroque styled cupola. The cathedral’s vaulted stone ceilings contain graceful paintings and its sandstone walls are intricately carved. But one element is peculiarly out of place and out of time.

Over the cathedral’s northern entrance, perched high among the ornate carvings, is the unmistakable figure of a tiny modern astronaut floating in space. He sits on a stalk complete with boots, helmet, and breathing apparatus on his back with tubes attached to the front of his suit.

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