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Located in the heart of the Gothic quarter in Barcelona, the Cathedral building was constructed over a period of 150 years, between the 13th and 15th centuries. The place chosen was the same on which a Romanesque cathedral and, before that, an early paleochristian temple had previously existed. The church is dedicated to the Santa Creu and Santa Eulàlia, the patron saint of the city.
The Cathedral of Barcelona is a beautiful example of Catalan Gothicstyle, far removed from the verticality of the French style. A curiosity of this building is that it has the dome at the foot of the nave, almost in touching distance of the main façade. This was so that the Gallery Royal would be lit equally with the altar.
This dome and façade date from the late 19th century and early 20th century. The façade was built on the occasion of the Universal Exposition of 1888 in the neo-Gothic style.
It is one of the most significant elements of the church along with theGothic cloister (don’t miss the ‘dancing egg' on the day of Corpus Christi, when an empty egg is made to dance on the jet of water in the fountain) and the crypt of Santa Eulalia with the richly sculpted alabaster sarcophagus.
Equally remarkable is the collection of altarpieces, which occupy the inner chapels, among which there is the Altarpiece of the Transfiguration, by Bernat Martorell.
Then there is the choir which is one of the most remarkable sculptural ensembles of the International Gothic style in Catalonia. Begun in the 14th century, in the 16th century it was completed with screens depicting scenes from the Old Testament and the Passion and the heraldic paintings of the choir stall.
Girona has many testimonies to its medieval past, a period of growth in which it became the second largest city in Catalonia with a population of 10,000 inhabitants (15th century). The old Roman walled town remained small and the city spread out on both sides of the Onyar.
Among the monumental heritage that reflects this growth is the Cathedral (11th – 18th century) which, with its large vaulted nave, is the widest vaulted Gothic space in the world. However, the first cathedral in Girona was the Basilica of Sant Feliu, which is currently one of the most representative Gothic buildings of the city, especially its slender bell tower (14th -16th century). Inside it preserves remarkable works of art, such as the eight pagan and Early-Christian sarcophagi (4th century) and the Recumbent Christ (14th century) by Master Aloi.
With regard to the monastery of Sant Daniel it is located in a wide green area close to the city and currently houses a community of Benedictine nuns. The Church contains the tomb of the Saint and the cloister is a beautiful example of Romanesque construction with Gothic additions.
Two kilometres along the River Galligants, stands another monastery: Sant Pere de Galligants, currently the Girona headquarters of the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya (Archaeological Museum of Catalonia). An example of Catalan Romanesque architecture, it is noted for the iconography of the capitals in the central nave and cloister.
Close to Sant Pere de Galligants are the Arab baths, public baths that also bear witness to the demographic growth and development of medieval Girona. They follow the model of the Roman baths, the Islamic baths and the Jewish mikvahs.
However, one of the greatest symbols of medieval Girona is the Call. Its formation began in the 12th century, starting from the Carrer de la Força, when Jewish families, who had previously lived around the Cathedral, were settled there. Major thinkers, such as the poet-philosopher, doctor and exegete Mosse ben Nahman, better known as Bonastruc ça Porta or Nahmanides, lived here. Up to 800 people came to live in the Girona Call and today it is one of the busiest areas of the city.
The ‘cradle’ of Catalonia. This is how the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll is known and no wonder. Founded by Comte Guifré el Pelós (Count Wilfred the Hairy) in the year 879, under the direction of the Abbot Oliba, it became a major religious and cultural centre, with a large and majestic Romanesque church and a scriptorium with great literary production, on a level with other abbeys in Europe during this period
The monastery’s 12th century portalada is the most outstanding feature of the complex. This doorway that welcomed the faithful and curious, is one of the great sculptures of European Romanesque. It is completely sculpted with scenes from the Old Testament and allegories. This is why it became known as "the Bible of stone". Its monumentality bears witness to Ripoll’s years of splendor. It is with good reason that for many years the monastery was also the pantheon of the counts of Besalú and Girona.
The building underwent several stages of enlargement and reconstruction due to the lack of space, fires, an earthquake and plunder.In 1886, the Bishop of Vic, Josep Morgades, commissioned the reconstruction of the monastery to the architect Elies Rogent. Ripoll recovered the church and the cloister of the 11th century monastery with a Romanesque Revival interpretation.
Today, you can visit Santa Maria de Ripoll and a Visitors’ Information Centre has been opened as well as a permanent exhibition focusing on the scriptorium, in which its importance is explained.
