Barcelona Cathedral

Old gothic-style temple, official building of the Archbishopric of the city of Barcelona in Catalunya. It is named Santa Eulalia after the patron saint of this lovely Catalan city.

It is located in the center of the city and is highly visited by the tourists, most of all for its beauty (even though the exterior was being restored during my visit).

The temple is 90 meters high and 40 meters wide. It also has a cloister. The cloister has a lovely garden and there are four galleries on the sides.

The cathedral has three naves, the central one being the biggest. It has various chapels, 29 in total, with lovely images dedicated to different saints. Although this Cathedral was built between the 13th and 15th century, the current facade dates back to 1888 as part of the works for the Universal Exposition of Barcelona.

I'm very pleased to see that the facade's reformation is progressively being finished and that every day we discover a little more of the rehabilitated face of the Barcelona Cathedral, even though there is still a long way to go.

Around 2003, the stones designing the main facade started to come off and fell piece after piece without anyone being able to do anything. This was when it was decided to cover it with green mesh in order to keep everyone safe. It's been 8 years already. If you go to see it, there are still scaffoldings and workers.

Problems with the foundation are the cause of these successive delays. It is very expensive and hard to find sponsors. This is why the campaign "sponsor a stone" started. People can participate on an individual basis and contribute to the cause.

Barcelona Cathedral (locally known as the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia) is truly one of the most amazing sights in Barcelona, and one skipped by too many visitors clamoring to see the Modernist buildings for which Barcelona is famous. The medieval cathedral dates back to the 13th-15th centuries and was built in honor of Saint Eulalia, patron saint of Barcelona. In fact, her remains are housed in crypt under the altar which is closed to visitors, but which you can still approach and view from the outside.

The most spectacular aspect of the cathedral, however, is the choir. As you approach the altar from the entrance, you'll pass through a choir of exquisitely-carved wooden chairs bearing the coats of arms of many of Spain's great dynasties. The level of preservation is astounding, especially considering the cathedral's age.