BARCELONA CATHEDRAL ~ BCN4FOREIGNERS

In the center of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), the heart of Barcelona, is the city's Gothic cathedral, known as La Seu. The first stone of the current church was laid in the 13th century, but it would last until the early 20th century before the cathedral was fully completed.

The church was named after Barcelona's patron saint Eulalia; its official name - Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia - is Catalan for Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. The commonly used name La Seu refers to the status of the church as the seat of the diocese.

In 1298, construction of the current cathedral started under King Jaume II, who was known as 'the Just'. During the construction of the cathedral, the existing Romanesque building was demolished.

Due to civil wars and the black death which hit the city several times, construction only progressed slowly. It took until 1460 before the main building was completed. The Gothic facade was finished much later, in 1889, and the last part, the central spire, was completed in 1913. The design of both the façade and the spire were based on the original design from 1408 by the French architect Charles Galters.

THE BUILDING

Exterior

The church is 93m/305ft long and 40m wide. The octagonal bell towers reach a height of more than 50m. They were built between 1386 and 1393. The spire of the central tower reaches a height of 70m or 230ft.
The main entrance to the church - profusely decorated with statues - is reminiscent of the porches of the great French cathedrals.

Interior

The interior consists of one wide nave illuminated by large, 15th century stained-glass windows. The nave is flanked by aisles with 28 side chapels. Of note here are the tombs of Count Ramón Berenguer I and his wife.
One of the highlights inside the cathedral is the crypt below the Capella Major (chancel) which contains the sarcophagus of Santa Eulalia. The cathedral also has a beautiful choir at the center of the nave with magnificently carved choir stalls. The enclosure around the choir is decorated with reliefs that narrate the life of Santa Eulalia.

Cloister

The cathedral is famous for its 14th century cloister, with a central courtyard surrounded by a marvellous Gothic portico. There are always 13 geese in the courtyard. Each goose represents one year in the life of the martyr Santa Eulalia, a young girl alledgedly tortured to death in the 4th century by the Romans for her religion. The cloister also contains a small museum with precious liturgical artifacts.