Address: Spain, Girona
Start of construction: 1312 year
Completion of construction: date unknown
Main attractions: Woven carpet "Creation of the World", a statue of King Pedro IV the Ceremonial, a copy of "Commentary on the Apocalypse" by Beat Liebanski
Coordinates: 41 ° 59'14.4 "N 2 ° 49'34.2" E
Content:
Not far from the Catalan capital of Spain, Barcelona, is the amazing city of Girona. The small area of the city and, by modern standards, the small number of the local population (according to the latest data, a little less than a hundred thousand people live in Girona) is not a reason for travel agencies to exclude this city from the list of the most interesting places for a traveler.
General view of the cathedral
Girona, however, like everything else in Catalonia, can surprise and amaze even tourists who have seen a lot in their lifetime. We are talking about the beauty of architectural buildings, about the streets and squares, about the amazing history of each "square meter" of the Spanish town; about numerous reliable and invented facts, legends and myths that literally envelop certain buildings; about the hospitality of the townspeople who warmly welcome each guest. It would be unfair to just list all the attractions of this cozy city. The Catholic Cathedral deserves special attention in Girona in the Plaza de Catedral.
Cathedral - history of appearance
The construction of the majestic Cathedral could not last for several years or even decades. Spanish architects and builders have been working on this project for almost a century, although for that time, the Middle Ages, such large-scale, in their design, structures are more the norm than the exception. The first "bricks" of the Cathedral in Girona were laid by two brothers, architects, Henri and Jacques de Foreins, who began construction in 1312. It is worth noting that up to this time, in the X-XI centuries, a Romanesque tomb existed on this site, from which only the monastery and a small part of the tower have survived to this day.
View of the facade of the cathedral from the stairs of repentance
In 1386 and in the 1416s, a whole galaxy of the best Spanish architects of the time joined this project, who together decided whether to continue building the cathedral in the Romanesque style. In particular, for a very long time there were disputes about the number of naves: some proposed to build a central nave with two side naves, while others, on the contrary, defended the "right" of one nave. In 1417, a decision was made to build one nave in the Gothic style, which the architect Guillaume Bophil was commissioned to implement. The dimensions of the nave are quite impressive: 34 meters high and 23 meters wide. It should be noted that only the nave of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome is wider than it, its width reaches 25 meters.
There is no exact date for the completion of construction. In the 16th, 17th and 19th and 20th centuries, the Cathedral of Girona underwent changes. Therefore, it is impossible to say about the predominance of one architectural style: in this project, the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles are successfully intertwined. The Cathedral of Girona is not just one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in all of Spain, but also a special pride of the Catalans.
South entrance to the cathedral
"Ladder of repentance" in ninety steps
As mentioned above, The Cathedral in Girona has been complemented by new architectural details over the centuries... So, in the 17th century, on the western side of the facade of the building, where the entrance from the cathedral is located, a staircase was added, consisting of ninety steps. At that time, the staircase was the largest in the whole of Spain. I must say that the stairs at the cathedral did not appear by accident: the whole thing is in the size of the cathedral square. It was small, which until the 17th century led to mass confusion and riots during the great Catholic festivals.
Therefore, it was decided to build a staircase that would allow everyone to take part in the services. Of course, as soon as the construction of the staircase was completed, a belief immediately appeared that a believer who wants to get inside the temple, even before crossing the threshold of the cathedral, being on the steps of the staircase, had to start praying for his sins: one step - one sin.
View of the sculptures above the main entrance
The niches on the facade of the building, made in the Baroque style and built in the middle of the 17th century, were empty for a long time. However, over time, statues were installed in them. The upper part of the Cathedral is decorated with a rather large window, which somewhat resembles a rose and is made in the Catalan Baroque style by the famous master Francisco Saladrigi. By the way, in different centuries, other facades of the building were supplemented with statues. The northern part of the cathedral is decorated with the portico of St. Michael, the southern part is the portico of the Apostles, all of them are made in the popular Gothic style at that time.
Girona Cathedral has a small courtyard, the perimeter of which is occupied by galleries. Here, near the walls and under the floor slabs, are buried famous and outstanding personalities who were members of the monastic brotherhood. In the backyard, it is impossible to pass by an architectural monument - a gutter, made in the form of a sculpture of a witch and popularly referred to as rather terrifyingly: "The cry of a witch." According to legend, in time immemorial there lived a witch who was against the existence of religion and against the construction of a cathedral in Girona. Since her magic was not able to do anything to harm the providence of God, she threw stones at the cathedral. The higher powers, not wanting to put up with evil spirits, turned the evil and insidious witch into stone and put her on the facade of the building, as a symbol of the victory of good over evil wiles. According to the same legend, from now on, not a single curse or insult will be able to seep from the lips of the witch, but only pure rainwater will flow down.
Cathedral view from the backyard
Cathedral in Girona - interior
Talking about the interior of the Cathedral in Girona and the exhibits of its museum can be endlessly long, but when you cross the threshold of this amazing temple, all words recede into the background, only feelings come .... feelings that are somewhat reminiscent of delight and, one might even say, awe. The Gothic atmosphere, unique columns, diagonal arches, the bishop's chair made by the architect in the Romanesque style and, of course, the organ installed in the Cathedral recently are just a small part of what catches the eye. In addition, the tombs of the Count of Barcelona Ramon Berengaria II and his beloved wife are installed inside the temple. It is impossible to take your eyes off the unique Catalan stained-glass windows of different shapes and sizes.
To the left of the main entrance is the museum, which contains unique masterpieces, works of art created in different eras: sculptures, manuscripts, gold and silver items and much more. The Cathedral Museum in Girona is open from Monday to Saturday... The cost of the entrance ticket for adults is a symbolic amount, only 5 euros, and for children and people over 65 years old - 3 euros.
View of the cathedral from the south
By the way, you can visit the museum for free. To do this, you should go to the Cathedral on Sunday from 10.00 to 14.00. True, at this time there are quite a lot of people in the church, since it is on this day and at this time that services are held in the Cathedral.
