Barcelona, a photo a day

Santa Eulalia, aka Laia


The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Catalan: Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia, Spanish: Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. The cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese (Font de les Oques) was completed about 1450. The neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that was common to Catalan churches in the 19th century. The roof is notable for its gargoyles, featuring a wide range of animals, both domestic and mythical.
The cathedral was constructed over the crypt of a former Visigothic chapel, dedicated to Saint James, which was the proprietary church of the Viscounts of Barcelona, one of whom, Mir Geribert, sold the site to Bishop Guislebert in 1058. Its site faced the Roman forum of Barcelona.
It is a hall church, vaulted over five aisles, the outer two divided into chapels. The transept is truncated. The east end is a chevet of nine radiating chapels connected by an ambulatory. The high altar is raised, allowing a clear view into the crypt.
 The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city. One story says that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulàlia). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral’s crypt.

7 responses

  1. VP

    We visited this wonderful Cathedral a long time ago, it is always good to see it again…

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    March 12, 2012 at 7:35 pm

  2. Wow ! a great HDR !

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    March 12, 2012 at 11:53 am

  3. Absolutely magnificent! And, based on your description, it sounds like a very big church too. Any chance we'd get to see the interior through your eyes one of these days? 🙂

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    March 12, 2012 at 10:06 am

  4. Oh my gosh I see what you mean Rob, you've given this Gothic style cathedral exactly the right treatment. What an amazing structure, it must be huge inside, loved the history to go with it. Fantastic post.

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    March 12, 2012 at 5:28 am

  5. 'Tis a beautiful structure…would love to see some of the interior. Looks like a fun gathering place, too. Colorful photo, as usual! Thanks for the historical commentary; I enjoyed that a lot!

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    March 11, 2012 at 11:56 pm

  6. Ce.

    Extremly beautiful pic!

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    March 11, 2012 at 11:54 pm

  7. Jim

    Gorgeous shots.

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    March 11, 2012 at 11:35 pm