Catedral de Santa Eulàlia
برشلونة
The cathedral, the Catedral to the people of Barcelona, is a great Gothic church begun in 1298. It is dedicated to the Holy Cross and to Santa Eulàlia.
A building site that lasted 150 years
The Gothic cathedral was begun on 1 May 1298, in the time of King Jaume II the Just. It was built on top of an older Romanesque church.
The work lasted more than 150 years and was paid for partly by religious brotherhoods and craft guilds. Church services never stopped.
The façade and the roof
The main façade is neo-Gothic. It was built in the late 1800s, following an old design revived by the architect Josep Oriol Mestres. The central spire was finished in 1913.
The central spire is 70 metres tall. On the roof and pinnacles there are about 200 gargoyles, many shaped like monsters and fantastic creatures. From the roof terraces you can see the pinnacles and towers up close.
The city's saint
According to tradition, Santa Eulàlia was a young woman from Barcino, a martyr in Roman times. Her relics lie in the crypt, under the high altar.
Inside there are 29 chapels and 215 keystones. The Gothic cloister was completed in 1448. It has a garden with trees and a pond, and it is one of the quietest corners of the neighbourhood.
