Barcelona Cathedral is located in the heart of Barcelona in the Gothic Quarter. Construction of this gothic cathedral began in 1298 under King Jaume II but it wasn’t until 1460 that the main building was completed due to various circumstances affecting the project. The main facade of the building wasn’t finished until 1889 with the central spire being constructed in 1913.
Cathedrals aren’t always everybody’s thing but this one has an extra twist. Within the grounds of it there is actually a cloister which can be accessed from within the cathedral itself or by the side entrance on Carrer del Bisbe.
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| The Only Barcelona Cathedral: La Seu Cathedral |
In this courtyard you’ll find a large square in the middle fenced off. In this little area is pond with a beautiful fountain in the centre as well as some trees and plants. In addition you will find a gaggle of geese roaming about. These noisy creatures thrive off the tourists and are just dying for you to feed them, so go on, bring a little bread for them!
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| The Only Barcelona Cathedral: La Seu Cathedral |
However there’s more behind the presence of the geese than meets the eye, if you count them you will notice that there are 13 in total. Each goose represents one year in the life of the martyr Santa Eulalia, a young girl tortured to death in the 4th century by the Romans for her beliefs.
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| The Only Barcelona Cathedral: La Seu Cathedral |
There’s also another smaller fountain at the other side and with there being no roof over the middle of the courtyard, it allows the garden to be flooded with natural light. Around sides of this little square are many closed off altars which contain symbols of religion or models religious figures. These can be found within the main cathedral as well and some are very elegantly made with many glimmering in the candle light with their golden facades.
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| The Only Barcelona Cathedral: La Seu Cathedral |
The main hall of the cathedral is something that will interest any architectural fan. It possesses an extremely high nave (the aisles are nearly the same height as well) with detail that will leave you admiring the effort that must have been put in to create something this spectacular all those years ago. One of the must sees for any visitor to the cathedral is the crypt which contains the entombed body of the aforementioned Santa Eulalia.
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