Placa de la Seu
Tel. 93- 315 15 54
Subway: Jaume I.
Bus: 17, 19, 45
Open: 8am- 7:30 pm daily
The Holy Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross
and Saint Eulàlia (in Catalan: Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa
Eulàlia)—also called, instead of cathedral, Seo— (in Catalan: Seu)
is the Gothic cathedral of Barcelona , seat of the archdiocese of
Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain.
The current cathedral was
built during the 13th to 15th centuries on the old Romanesque
cathedral, built in turn on a church from the Visigothic era which
was preceded by an early Christian basilica, the remains of which
can be seen in the basement, in the History Museum of the city. The
completion of the imposing façade in the same style, however, is
much more modern (19th century). The building is an Asset of
Cultural Interest and, since November 2, 1929, a National
Historic-Artistic Monument.
It has been dedicated to the Holy
Cross since the year 599 and was added from the year 877 to Saint
Eulalia, patron saint of the city of Barcelona (currently the Virgin
of Mercy is more celebrated as such, who is strictly the patron
saint of the diocese. from Barcelona, but not from the city), a
young maiden who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered
martyrdom during Roman times, when she informed the Roman governor
of the persecutions suffered by Catholics. The governor, far from
helping her, punished her for being Catholic. One such story tells
that she was exposed naked in the city forum and that miraculously,
in the middle of spring, a snowfall covered her nakedness. The
enraged Roman authorities put it in a barrel with broken glass,
nails and knives stuck in it and threw the barrel downhill
(according to tradition, it would be Baixada de Santa Eulàlia
street, Cuesta de Santa Eulalia). And so, up to thirteen different
martyrdoms, one for each year of the saint's age. Finally, she was
crucified on a cross in the shape of a cross, which is the emblem of
the cathedral and the diocese, as well as the iconographic attribute
of the saint.
The cathedral has a Gothic cloister in which
thirteen white geese live (it is said that Eulalia was thirteen
years old when she was executed and that she herded geese on her
property in Sarrià, near the city).
The building consists of the temple and the cloister perfectly united
by the same style. The cathedral measures 90 meters long by 40 meters
wide and the cloister garden is 25 meters per side by six meters wide
for each gallery of the four that surround it.
The cathedral is
made up of three naves of the same height, the central one twice as wide
as the side ones; From the false transept the circulars join in an
ambulatory, passing behind the presbytery and forming a semicircular
arch, where nine chapels are housed covered by pointed arches of four
sections and above these chapels are the Gothic stained glass windows
that fill the room with light. apse. There is a U-shaped gallery that is
above the side chapels and above this gallery and the radial chapels of
the ambulatory going around the entire central nave there is a false
clerestory, from where you can see the vault keys at a distance. short
distance.
In the side naves there are another 17 chapels, covered
by pointed arches of six sections, with pointed arches at each entrance;
There are two chapels placed between each buttress with an interior
projection. These chapels must be joined by the chapel of Santa Lucía
with an entrance from the outside. In 1997, on the occasion of the royal
wedding that took place, the first complete plans of the Barcelona
Cathedral were drawn, including the cloister and the buildings that were
added over time.
The origin of the cathedral is in an early Christian basilica
dedicated to the Holy Cross (5th-7th centuries), of which there are some
remains located in the basement of the current Plaza de Sant Iu and
Calle dels Comtes, as well as some remains sculptures that are preserved
in the Barcelona History Museum. It was a temple with three naves, with
a square baptistery that housed an octagonal pool.6 This basilica lasted
in the Visigothic period, and during the Muslim occupation of the city
(718-801) it may have been converted into a mosque.
The early
Christian basilica was restored thanks to the initiative of Bishop
Frodoí around 877, on the occasion of the transfer of the remains of
Saint Eulalia to the crypt of the cathedral. However, little is known
about the appearance of the cathedral at this time, although there are
reports that there were two altars dedicated to Saint Coloma and Saint
Mary. The building may have suffered damage during the invasion of
Almanzor (997), since shortly afterwards there is a donation "ad
restorationem nostre matris ecclesie".
The cathedral was
renovated again in the Romanesque style, although there is not much news
about this new construction, except that it was consecrated in 1058,
which suggests that it must have been a different building from the
early Christian or pre-Romanesque one. It probably occupied the central
space of the current Gothic cathedral, and if it followed the model of
other churches of the time - such as the cathedral of Elna or the
monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès - it must have had three naves with
three stepped apses and an entrance portico; It also had a bell tower,
which bordered the Count's Palace. In 1186, an altar consecrated to
Saint Thomas of Canterbury was founded.
Construction work on the Gothic cathedral began in May 1298, during
the reign of James II and under the bishopric of Bernardo Pelegrí
(1288-1300), starting with the chancel, at the same time dismantling the
old Romanesque cathedral and taking advantage of some sculptural
elements. such as the imposts of the San Ivo door. The works were not
planned as the construction of a new cathedral but as a reform and
expansion of the Romanesque cathedral,
(... extension and
amplification of our cathedrals ecclesie...)
which was done in
phases without ever completely demolishing the temple and making it
serve for worship throughout the work. Thus the Gothic cathedral
preserves the same axis as the Romanesque one and the ambulatory is
built around the Romanesque apse.
In the first stage, the apse,
the radial chapels and the crypt of the presbytery were built, which was
completed in 1338, with the master builder being Jaime Fabre, the first
known to be known, during the mandate of Bishop Ponç de Gualba
(1303-1334). . It is not known when Fabre left the position of master
builder, but in 1358 Bernat Roca was already building the first sections
of the main vault and the gallery above the chapels; It was also this
teacher who started the cloister. In 1384, King Pedro the Ceremonious
wrote a letter to Roca complaining about having broken the pipes that
brought water to the royal palace, due to the lack of care he took when
demolishing the Romanesque cathedral; Roca took charge of its repair.
Died in 1388, the stonecutter Pere Viader continued until the year 1397
when the architect Arnau Bargués, designer of the chapter house, was
master builder. His assistant Jaume Solá held the position from 1407 to
1412. He was succeeded by Bartolomé Gual who remained in office for a
long time until 1441 and was the builder of the dome made with wooden
coffered ceiling; It is known that he moved to Valencia to observe that
city. He also worked in the cloister. Andrés Escuder was appointed on
March 1, 1442 until he resigned in 1463, being the one who finished the
cloister and practically the entire structure of the temple. Waiting to
be able to build the façade, which was already drawn by Carles Galtés de
Ruan (called Carlí) on April 27, 1408. It can be said that the Gothic
construction works lasted about 150 years.
On the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of Barcelona (1888),
after almost four hundred years without carrying out major works in the
cathedral, thanks to the promoter Manuel Girona i Agrafel and his sons,
the works were resumed, the competition was called for the construction
of the façade in 1882, establishing Gothic as the stylistic criterion to
follow. It was awarded to Josep Oriol Mestres, chief architect of the
cathedral since 1855. It was inspired by the designs made in 1408 by
Carles Galtés of Ruan.
The 40-meter-wide neo-Gothic façade,
consisting of a façade flanked by two towers with high pinnacles, is
ornamented with all kinds of Gothic style elements with vertical lines
and a great profusion of images of angels and saints.
The dome,
designed by the architect Augusto Font Carreras, has a height of 70
meters and was built between 1906 and 1913. The exterior crowning of the
dome concludes with the image of Saint Helena, mother of Constantine,
who is said to be She was the one who rediscovered the true Cross,
dedication of the cathedral along with that of Santa Eulalia; This
sculpture was made by the artist Eduard Alentorn. At the ends of the
crests there are images of winged angels.
There are five doors of the Barcelona Cathedral:
The Principal,
located in the center of the façade of the Cathedral Square. Designed by
the architect Josep Oriol i Mestres, it is in a neo-Gothic style with a
large Gothic arch with archivolts, presided over in its mullion by a
sculpture of Christ, the work of the sculptor Agapito Vallmitjana, and
on both sides of the door the images of the apostles, by the same
author. In the archivolts of the porch there are figures of angels,
prophets and kings, a total of 76 figures, which together with the
carpentry of the door were made by the sculptor Joan Roig i Solé.
Inside, the medallions engraved in stone on the back of the entrance
arch are by the artist Antonio Claperós, representing the Ascension and
Pentecost.
Portal of San Ivo: this is the oldest and for five hundred
years it was the main entrance to the cathedral, through the transept on
the Gospel side. Its dedication is due to the building in front of it,
which for many years was the headquarters of lawyers, the patron saint
of which is San Ivo. Made of marble and stone from Montjuic Mountain, it
is one of the first attempts at the Catalan Gothic pointed arch (1298).
Above the pillars there are musical angels sticking their heads out from
the outside of the arch. On the tympanum there is an image of Saint
Eulalia attributed to the school of Jaume Cascalls from the late 14th
century. On both sides there are small, merely ornamental, heads. On
each side of the façade there are marble reliefs acting as imposts that
are believed to be from the old Romanesque cathedral.
Gate of La
Piedad. It is one of the exterior entrances to the cloister, with an
ogee arch flanked by tall pinnacles carved with great finesse. On the
tympanum there is a relief - a copy of the original, in wood, kept in
the cathedral museum - with the representation of the Pieta surrounded
by symbols of the Passion. It is the work of the German sculptor Michael
Lochner, established in Barcelona since 1483. This The door facilitates
entry to the temple since it is on the corner with the entrance to the
transept on the Epistle side.
Gate of Santa Eulalia. It is located on
Calle del Obispo and the entrance is through the cloister, similar to
the Puerta de la Piedad; It is built with an ogee arch and on the
tympanum there is a sculpture of Saint Eulalia, a reproduction of the
original by the sculptor Antonio Claperós. On the sides of the image are
carved the shields of Bishop Francesc Climent Sapera, who was the one
who paid for the gallery of west of the cloister. The archivolts are
carved with fine foliage.
Santa Lucia Gate. It is the entrance to the
exterior chapel of said saint, being the third access door to the
cloister. The door is Romanesque with five semicircular archivolts,
supported by three attached quadrangular pillars and two fine
free-standing circular columns with smooth shafts on both sides of the
door, with sculpted capitals representing figures of animals and
characters, with plant decorations.
The two bell towers date from the end of the 13th century, from the
beginning of Gothic construction, whose location corresponds to the ends
of the transept. Both are octagonal and 53 meters high.
One of
the towers, called the hour or clock tower, stands above the entrance to
San Ivo. In this tower is the bell called Eulalia, which is the largest,
weighing 3 tons; She is the one who rings the hours and with the name of
Honorata she is the one who rings the quarters. The upper structure is
made of iron and is magnificently ornamented. It was built at the end of
the 19th century in a modernist style. The other tower is in charge of
ecclesiastical hours. In this one there are ten bells, all with female
names.
Gargoyles
Like most Gothic cathedrals, Barcelona's also
has gargoyles, through which rainwater pours from the roofs. They
represent fantastic animals, such as lions, unicorns and one of the most
famous is the one that represents an elephant. The oldest are those in
the part of the apse next to the San Ivo door from the beginning of the
14th century. The gargoyles in the cloister date from the 15th century,
and those in the four corners represent the symbols of the Evangelists.
According to popular tradition, they are witches who, when the
Corpus Christi procession passed, spit, being punished to remain
petrified like monstrous figures, with the mission of spitting water
from the roofs of the cathedral.
The chapel of Santa Lucía is located in a corner of the cloister with
an exterior entrance. It was built between 1257 and 1268 in a late
Romanesque style, under the command of Bishop Arnau de Gurb (1252-1284).
It was originally the chapel of the Episcopal Palace of Barcelona.
Rectangular in plan with a pointed barrel vault and very small in size,
it is built with very regular voussoirs, its façade has a door with a
semicircular arch with archivolts and capitals sculpted with geometric
figures and animals; In the center of its façade stands a small belfry
with two holes.
Inside it has two tombs under two arcolosios, the
one on the epistle side corresponds to Bishop Arnau de Gurb and the
other to that of canon Francesc de Santa Coloma from the 14th century,
above which there is a calvary carved in stone with a glass bottom.
blue.
It had a side door that opened onto Obispo Street, walled
up in 1821, and, currently, it has a rear door that allows access to the
cloister.
Consecrated in the year 1337 by Bishop Ferrer Abella (1335-1344), the
three-meter-long altar is made of white marble and is supported by two
capitals from the primitive Visigothic temple of the 6th century. In the
background and at half height of the central columns you can see the
image of the exaltation of the Cross surrounded by six angels, by the
sculptor Frederic Marès, made in 1976 and in its lower part is located
the chair, carved in the middle of the century xiv in alabaster; The
wooden backrest is from 1967 and on it is the coat of arms of Cardinal
Archbishop Ricard Maria Carles i Gordó (1990-2004).
Until 1976, a
main Gothic altarpiece from the 14th century was in this place, of
architectural type—an ornate cresting structure, without sculptures or
paintings—, made of gilded wood. In the central niche there was a carved
cross from the year 1746. To adapt the presbytery to the guidelines of
the Second Vatican Council, it was removed and today it can be seen in
the nearby parish of San Jaime, on Ferran Street.
Stained glass or stained glass windows are considered one of the
characteristics of the Gothic, with the opening of large windows to let
in the outside light, after the Romanesque period, when the buildings
had thick walls and without openings or if there were any, few and very
narrow, with exceptions such as that of the Augsburg Cathedral from the
year 1100 with figures that were precursors of the Gothic ones.
The Gothic stained glass windows in the cathedral are all designed with
the same scheme of three streets, the central one with the image of the
owner and the sides with geometric decorations that frame royal shields,
the city, angels, etc. and trilobar crowning. The eras of stained glass
can be divided into three parts:
The first, dated from the years
1317-1334, by the coat of arms of Bishop Ponç de Gualba that can be seen
in the stained glass window of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia and
includes all the stained glass windows of the chancel, above the radial
chapels. In addition to this, that of San Pedro, that of Pope San
Silvestre on the sides with heads of holy bishops by the author called
Master of San Silvestre from the year 1386, that of San Esteban.
The second stage, around the year 1400, are those at the ends of the
apse: San Andrés with the shields of Bishop Armengol from the year
1398/1408, and that of San Antonio Abad, made by Nicolau de Maraya in
the years 1405/1407.
The third stage or group are those made in
the 15th century, such as the stained glass window of Saint Michael the
Archangel and the main one, located in the chapel of the baptistery,
from the year 1495, its author was Gil de Fontanet with cartoons drawn
by Bartolomé Bermejo. As can be read in the lower strip of the stained
glass window, it is Noli me tangere.
Made in the 20th century,
they are those found in the clerestory at the foot of the temple: Funded
by the Provincial Council of Barcelona, it is the one that represents
San Jaime, San Antonio Abad, San Alejandro and Santa Joaquina Vedruna;
paid by the Barcelona City Council with San Severo, San José Oriol, San
Medir and San Vicente Ferrer; Our Lady of the Angels and Saint
Bartholomew, sponsored by Bartomeu Barba, governor of Barcelona; Nuestra
Señora del Busto y San Gregorio, with the shield of Bishop Gregorio
Modrego, etc.
The restoration carried out in 1970 allowed us to discover the
polychrome of the vault keys that had been obscured over the centuries.
The cathedral has a total of 215 keys, with those in the main nave
being the largest, two meters in diameter and weighing 5 tons. The keys
to the central vault starting with the presbytery are:
Christ
crucified between the Virgin and Saint John with the symbols of the sun
and the moon.
Saint Eulalia with the shield of Blanche of Anjou, wife
of James II. Dated from 1320.
Virgin of Mercy, welcoming in her
cloak, on one side, a pope, a king, a cardinal, a bishop and a canon, on
the other side the queen, a nun and three more female figures. Dates
from 1379.
The Annunciation. The virgin with the archangel Saint
Gabriel. Year 1379.
A bishop with deacons, believed to be Bishop Pere
Planella (1371-1385), as his coat of arms is on the side of the key.
Eternal Father surrounded by angels, by the sculptor Pere Johan made in
1418.
Another great key is the one found in the crypt of Santa
Eulalia, representing the saint with the Virgin Mary and Child. Near the
door of San Ivo, its key represents San Pedro, surrounded by four other
smaller ones with a three-lobed shape; On the door leading to the
cloister, on the opposite side, it represents Saint John the Baptist
with the eagle, also surrounded by four smaller ones.
The crypt is located under the presbytery and its construction is due
to Jaume Fabre, at the beginning of the 14th century. The entrance via a
wide staircase under an almost flat arch, decorated in the center with
the portrait of a bishop, seems to be by Ponç of Gualba, under whose
mandate it was built, and on its sides groups of small heads of
characters of the time. On the side walls of the staircase there are two
arches with sculptures of human heads, which were the entrance to two
chapels that were walled up in 1779 for renovation work to advance the
staircase towards the main altar. The flattened vault is divided into
twelve arches that all converge to a large keystone of the central
vault, which represents the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus who places
the diadem of martyrdom on Saint Eulalia. It was completed in 1326,
although the transfer of the saint's remains did not take place until
1339.
The new alabaster sarcophagus was carved by the Pisa
sculptor, Lupo di Francesco; it is displayed behind the altar table, in
the center of the crypt, supported by eight columns of different styles
with gilded Corinthian capitals. On the lid and its sides are carved
scenes of the martyrdom of Saint Eulalia, in the four upper corners
there are angel-lamps and in the center a Virgin and Child. His old tomb
from the 9th century is kept on the back wall, along with the
inscription from the year 877 of the discovery of the relics in Santa
María del Mar called Santa María de las Arenas. The transcription of the
plaques reads as follows:
Here rests Saint Eulalia martyr of
Christ, who suffered in the city of Barcelona, under the presidency of
Datian, on the second day of the Ides of February and was found by
Bishop Frodoí with his clergy, in the church of Saint Mary on (. ..) of
the calends of November. Bye thank you
Work on the choir began under the mandate of Bishop Ramon d'Escales
in 1390.
The walls of the choir were made by Jordi de Déu with
corbels representing prophets from the Old Testament, as well as on the
left side he made the staircase leading to the pulpit with two small
sculptures representing the Annunciation in the jambs of the entrance to
the staircase.
In 1394, Pere Sanglada, an already established
sculptor, was commissioned to make the choir stalls. He traveled by
order of the chapter to Gerona, Elna, Carcassonne and finally to Bruges,
where he bought the oak wood for its execution. He surrounded himself
with good assistants such as Pere Oller and Antoni Canet, starting the
first phase of the choir with the stalls in whose medallions on the
armbands and in the misericords, is where the most important sculptures
are concentrated. Of varied themes, religious ones are the least
represented and it is the scenes of dance, games and music, among
others, that attract the most attention.
Pere Sanglada was
commissioned to make the pulpit, also made of oak, with a prismatic
shape, with an architectural background of traceries and pinnacles where
there are fifteen images representing, among others, Jesus Christ with
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and another panel of the Virgin with Saint
Eulalia and Santa Catalina. At the bottom of the pulpit there are arches
with vault keys representing those of the cathedral. It was completed in
1403.
Years later the choir was continued with the stalls of
Macià Bonafè who carved another 48 chairs, finishing in the year 1459.
With this work, Pere Sanglada's became the high stalls.
The
German Michael Lochner was in charge of the carvings of the canopies in
the form of high pinnacles in 1483, which due to his death in 1490, his
assistant Johan Friederich Kassel had to continue until 1497.
In
1517, the sculptor Bartolomé Ordóñez made the screens for access to the
stalls with scenes from the Old Testament and the Passion.
Charles I decided that the celebration of the XIX chapter of the order
of the Golden Fleece would be in Barcelona and ordered the choir of his
cathedral to be enabled for the date of March 5, 1519. Joan de Burgunya
was in charge of painting the corresponding heraldry on the 64 ceilings
of the seats, corresponding to:
50 seats of knights (including the
kings of France and England)
1 of Charles I
1 by Maximiliano24
6 with laudatory phrases
4 with burgundy badges
2 with the dates
of celebration.
It is a Renaissance work, carried out by Bartolomé Ordóñez from
Burgos, who is known to have been working on this work in 1519,
designing it as a Doric colonnade, crowned with a balustrade and which
between its intercolumnias consists of four scenes in relief from the
life of Saint Eulalia, two on each side of the door and at its ends some
niches that contain corporeal sculptures.
He was unable to
complete the work due to his premature death in Carrara in 1520, where
he had gone to buy marble and carry out the commission, and it was
completed by his disciple Pedro Villar in accordance with his master's
project in 1564.
The reliefs that represent the Judgment of Saint
Eulalia by Datian and the Burning of Saint Eulalia together with the
free figures of Saint Severus and Saint Eulalia, belong to Bartolomé
Ordóñez.
According to the historian Justi, he specified that
Villar had worked in the Barcelona choir in the years 1562-1563, "the
reliefs of the flagellation and crucifixion, although well done, but
cold, however, like the work of an imitator." José Camón Aznar was also
of this opinion. Later studies have given as the work of Pedro Villar
only the relief of the Crucifixion of Saint Eulalia, and the other
relief of the Flagellation of Saint Eulalia is a work after Villar's
death and made by the sculptor Claudio Perret, in 1619-1621.
Its construction date was in the year 1538. It is located under the
bell tower of the San Ivo gate. Some large doors closed its box, painted
by Pere Serafí "the Greek" in 1560; These sargas were removed in 1950
and are preserved in the Cathedral Museum.
There are only four of
this type of organ in Europe, in Daroca, Palma de Mallorca and
Perpignan. The original work of the organ was carried out by Pere
Flamech and the carver Antoni Carbonell. Since then, the organ has
received contributions from at least 16 organists, which involves a
series of modifications to adapt it to the aesthetic tastes of each era,
receiving all types of aesthetic and mechanical innovations, the latest
interventions being those carried out by Gabriel Blancafort from 1984 to
1994.
The organ case is the original, Renaissance style, flat,
from the Catalan school like the organ cases of Santa María del Mar
(1560), the cathedral of Tarragona (1557), that of the cathedral of
Valencia (1510) among other. Of two bodies, the largest of 16 feet, its
pipes being the original ones except for those arranged in horizontal
trumpeting as well as a small four-foot box located in the center of the
organ platform on the organist's back.
Inside the organ there are
pipes from all periods of the different interventions it has received,
which have been respected to the maximum in the latest interventions.
All the technical part is current.
The current newly built organ
consists of four 56-note keyboards and a 30-note pedal, mechanical
traction and a distribution of sound bodies that follow the precepts of
the "Werkprinzip", a 20th century nickname that defines the internal
layout of German baroque organs. :
The first keyboard is located
on the organist's back.
The second keyboard or major organ is located
at the height of the base of the organ façade, with the façade pipes
belonging to this keyboard.
The third expressive keyboard owes its
name to the fact that the performer can cause the volume to increase or
decrease at will. Physically it is located one floor above the major
organ.
The fourth keyboard activates the battle and the echo, the
battle is formed by a series of registers located horizontally on the
façade, it is a typically Iberian placement, just above the head of the
organist. The echo is a trunk with a lid that the organist opens and
closes at will, causing the echo effect.
The pedal pipes (operated
with the feet) are located on both sides of the organ, in the area
furthest from the central axis of the organ where the organist is
located. The organ has a total of 4013 sound pipes and 128 free
combinations of registers.
In addition to musically accompanying
liturgical events, large concerts are frequently held in the cathedral.
Known for the chapel of San Olegario and the Santísimo Sacramento, as
well as the Santo Cristo de Lepanto, one of the most devoted images of
the cathedral and the most venerated dedication to Christ in Barcelona.
The chapter house was built by Arnau Bargués in the year 1407 with a
magnificent architectural resolution with a rectangular floor plan
covered with a large star-shaped ribbed vault. The keystone of the
central vault of the chapel represents Pentecost and was made by Juan
Claperós in 1454.
When the bishop of Barcelona, Saint Olegario,
was canonized in 1676, it was decided to allocate it to his mausoleum.
The baroque tomb is placed above the tabernacle with a glass urn that
allows you to see the incorrupt body of the saint, the work of the
sculptors Francesc Grau and Domènec Rovira the Younger. On top of this
work was placed the recumbent statue of Bishop Olegario, which had
already been executed by the sculptor Pere Sanglada in 1406.
Above this tomb is the Holy Christ of Lepanto dating from the 16th
century, which until 1932 had been venerated in the central chapel of
the ambulatory. At the foot of the crucifix there is an image of the
Dolorosa, a reproduction of a sculpture by Ramón Amadeu. On both sides
of the altar is the entrance to the dressing room, decorated with
marble, carved doors and the ceiling coffered with panels with
paintings; In the center of this room the remains of Saint Rufus of
Avignon, who died in 1137, are venerated.
Due to the southern Gothic construction, the buttresses had an interior projection, which allowed the creation of double chapels with great depth between them, with ribbed vaults. It is known from documents that at the beginning of the 15th century, almost all of them were already equipped with an altarpiece. As used to happen in almost all the great cathedrals, over the years they suffered alterations both in the substitution, by currents of new arts of the moment, of the Gothic altarpieces for baroque, and in the invocations, due to a change of benefactors. The craft guilds were the most important when it came to funding the chapels of the Barcelona Cathedral, commissioning the creation of the altarpieces and images from the best artists of the moment, which made the tour around the entire perimeter of the cathedral It's like a visit to a museum.
Described from the main door to the altar.
Chapel of San Cosmas
and San Damiano. Next to the old chapter house, there is this chapel,
originally dedicated to Saints Clare and Catherine, completed around the
year 1436 by the master builder Bartolomé Gual, it was paid for by
Sancha Ximenis de Cabrera to make their tomb, whose The work was done by
Pere Oller, a sculptor who also worked in the cathedral choir. The tomb
is placed inside an arcosolium with two small dogs sculpted at the feet
of the recumbent figure. On the front, the figures of male prayers are
represented in two groups surrounding a female figure with a book in her
hand and other women in prayer. Above the tomb, painted on the wall, is
a representation of elevatio animae by the painter Lluís Dalmau.
Chapel of San José Oriol. Its altar is in a modernist style and opposite
is the mausoleum, made by the sculptor Josep Llimona, of Cardinal
Salvador Casañas i Pagès (†1908), the main promoter of the canonization
of the Barcelonan José Oriol.
Chapel of San Pancracio and San Roque.
It has a notable polychrome baroque altarpiece from the 18th century.
Chapel of San Raimundo de Peñafort. Under the altar of this chapel is
the recumbent sculpture of San Raimundo de Peñafort with the sarcophagus
dating from the 14th century, coming from the old convent of Santa
Catalina of the Dominican order.
St. Paul's Chapel. The altarpiece of
this chapel, from around 1769, was designed by Francesc Tramullas.
Carles Grau did the sculpture work and the polychrome was by Francesc
Petit.
Chapel of Our Lady of Pilar. Baroque altarpiece from the 17th
century. The mausoleum of Archbishop Gregorio Modrego Casaus (†1972), is
by the sculptor Frederic Marès from 1972.
Chapel of San Paciano and
San Francisco Javier. The altarpiece of San Paciano is a baroque work
carved and assembled between 1688 and 1689 by Joan Roig, with polychrome
by Joan Moxí. In the scene that represents the Last Supper in the
predella, the artist was inspired by a print by Albrecht Dürer to solve
this composition. Other carvings and reliefs represent: San Paciano, the
death of San Paciano, San Mateo, San Vicente, Saint Benedict, Saint
Tecla, Saint Tecla Martyr, the Annunciation and the Adoration of the
Shepherds, as well as Saint Francis Xavier with Pope Paul III and in a
recumbent figure, the latter being, at the foot of the altarpiece, a
lump carved in 1687 by Andreu Sala. On the ground there is the tomb of
Bishop Joan Dimas Loris (†1598).
At the foot of the temple there are two chapels, one on each side of
the main entrance door:
Baptistery Chapel. The baptismal font is made
of white Carrara marble, carved by the Florentine artist Onofre Julià in
the year 1433. In this chapel is the Noli me tangere stained glass
window, which represents the Magdalene with the Risen Jesus by Gil de
Fontanet. According to the traces of the Cordoban artist Bartolomé
Bermejo, it is from the end of the 15th century.
Chapel of the
Immaculate Conception. The image of her is recent and she has in her
hands the keys to the city offered by the city council as an ex-voto for
the plague of 1651 that the municipality suffered. On the left wall of
the chapel is the 1899 mausoleum of the bishop of Barcelona, Francesc
Climent Sapera († 1430).
They are described from the main door to the altar:
Chapel of San
Severo. Dedicated to the holy bishop of the Diocese of Barcino at the
end of the 3rd century, it is the first one from the main door. The
baroque altarpiece, from 1683, is the work of the sculptors Francesc
Santacruz i Artigas and Jacint Trulls, assisted by the cabinetmaker
Agustí Llinàs; the gold was applied by Pau Llorens. The piece of
furniture, with two bodies and three sections, presents, in its main
niche, the full size carving of San Severo, on whose sides there are a
series of square reliefs that represent the following scenes from the
life and miracles of the saint: pilgrimage , preaching, episcopal
ordination, martyrdom, transfer of his body to the Cathedral and healing
of King Martin I the Human.
Saint Mark's Chapel. Its primitive Gothic
altarpiece was paid for by the shoemakers' guild and was made in 1346 by
Arnau Bassa. This altarpiece was replaced by another baroque one and
moved to the Collegiate Basilica of Santa María de la Aurora (Manresa),
where it is currently preserved. The baroque altarpiece is by the carver
Bernat Vilar, who made it between 1683 and 1692, with gilding applied by
the brothers Josep and Francesc Vinyals. Continuing with the common
pattern in the baroque altarpieces of the Catalan cathedral, in the
central niche appears the titular saint, and on his sides carvings and
reliefs alluding to scenes from his life, as well as representatives of
other saints, martyrs, the Virgin Mary, the Son and the Father. On both
sides of the Chapel you can see two oil paintings on canvas, painted by
Francesc Tramullas Roig in 1763: Saint Mark writing the Gospel and
Arrest and martyrdom of Saint Mark. The paintings on the vaults of the
chapel, with an allegorical program on the Eucharist, have been
attributed to Francesc Tramullas (1767-1770), while those that appear on
the upper side segments with a Last Supper and a Supper at the House of
Emmaus are work of Francesc Pla el Vigatà.
Chapel of San Bernardino
and San Miguel Arcángel. In its baroque altarpiece from 1705 you can see
the images of San Bernardino de Siena, an anonymous carving from around
1784, San Miguel, San Antonio de Padua, San Jerónimo and the
transfiguration of Santa Teresa de Jesús. The original altarpiece of
this chapel, by Jaume Huguet, is preserved in the Cathedral Museum.
Chapel of the Virgin of the Rosary. It is presided over by a gilded and
polychrome proto-baroque altarpiece made between 1617 and 1620 by the
Tarrasa artist Agustí Pujol. In its three streets, two sections and the
attic are distributed the images and reliefs of Our Lady of the Rosary,
the Marian mysteries of the Annunciation, the Assumption and the
Coronation, the Nativity, the Flagellation and the Resurrection of
Christ, and images of Saint Lorenzo, Saint Michael the Archangel and
Saint Jerome.
Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Bartholomew and
Saint Elizabeth. By the painter Guerau Gener, who was an apprentice in
the workshop of Lluís Borrassà and who executed it in 1401, is the
Gothic altarpiece that presides over the space. The thirteen temples on
panel represent the following scenes: in the main body, Saint
Bartholomew and Saint Elizabeth (central motif), Martyrdom of Saint
Bartholomew, Saint Elizabeth healing the sick, Preaching of Saint
Bartholomew, and posthumous miracles of Saint Bartholomew; in the upper
body: Calvary, Exorcism of the daughter of King Polem and miraculous
Intercession of Saint Elizabeth; on the bench: the Annunciation, the
Nativity of the Lord, the Virgin and Child among saints and angels, the
Epiphany and the Presentation of Jesus in the temple.
Chapel of San
Sebastian, Santa Tecla and the Heart of Mary. It has a late Gothic
altarpiece from the years 1486-1498, made by Rafael Vergós, Francesc
Mestre and Pere Alemany, artists belonging to Jaume Huguet's workshop.
It is made up of panels painted in tempera, representing the following
scenes and figures: Jesus between the doctors of the temple and Santa
Tecla and San Sebastian with the canon Joan Andreu Sorts (central
street); Santa Tecla in the menagerie, Santa Tecla at the bonfire and
San Nicasio (right side street); Saint Sebastian destroying the idols,
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian and Saint Roque (left side street); the
Annunciation (top overall); Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Mary
Magdalene, Ecce Homo, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Barbara
(bench); and San Juan Bautista and San Andrés (bank doors). Outside the
altarpiece, freestanding, a polychrome carving of the Heart of Mary, a
modern work (1942) by Vicenç Vilarrubies.
Chapel of Our Lady of Joy.
It contains an altar-reredos carved in alabaster and in neo-Gothic style
by the sculptor Josep Maria Camps i Arnau in 1945. Image by N. S. de la
Alegría.
Chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat. Modern altarpiece with
image of the patron saint of Catalonia.
Described clockwise:
Chapel of the Holy Innocents or the Souls of
Purgatory. It is located next to the left arm of the transept and the
San Ivo door. Above the altar, within the predella of the altarpiece,
the relics that the Duke of Venice gave to John II are kept in a 16th
century silver casket on the condition that they be preserved in the
Barcelona Cathedral. The altarpiece, dedicated to the Glorification of
the Virgin Mary, and carved and polychromed by Marià Montaya, is a
baroque work that presides over an oil painting painted on canvas by
Joan Gallart around 1709-1711; This main scene represents the Coronation
of the Virgin, and on its sides and below are smaller oil paintings that
represent the Birth of the Virgin, the Presentation in the Temple, the
Massacre of the Holy Innocents and the Souls of Purgatory. On the right
wall there is an arcosolium containing a sarcophagus of Bishop Ramon
d'Escales (1386-1398), the work of the sculptor Antoni Canet from 1409.
It is an exquisite Gothic sculpture made of alabaster, with a
magnificent recumbent figure of the bishop and reliefs of mourners under
the Gothic arches on the front of the tomb.
Chapel of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. Altar presided over by a modern image (1940) by the
sculptor Vicenç Vilarrubias, under a neo-Gothic canopy.
Chapel of Our
Lady of Mercy. This chapel shares the dedication with San Pedro Nolasco.
It contains the Altarpiece of the Foundation of the Order of Mercy, a
baroque piece of furniture by the sculptor Joan Roig (father) from 1688,
with polychrome signed by Francesca Viladomat but made by Joan Moixí.
The main sculptural motif represents the adoration of King Jaime I to
the Virgin of Mercy. Images of Saint Peter, Saint Sylvester, Saint
Gregory the Great and Saint Francis of Assisi surround this scene, as
well as, in the attic, the Mercedarian shield. This work was sponsored
by the priest and doctor of Law Pere Roig i Morell.
Chapel of Santa
Clara and Santa Catalina. The altarpiece, from the year 1456, was
carried out by Miquel Nadal and Pedro García de Benavarre. The
altarpiece consists of 19 panels painted in tempera, which represent:
Calvary; Santa Clara and Santa Catalina (main table); The profession of
faith of Saint Catherine; Saint Catherine driven away by the infidels;
Death of Saint Clare; Saint Nicholas of Bari; Saint Barbara; Saint
Bernardino of Siena; Saint Louis of Tolosa; Saint Agatha; Saint Vincent
Ferrer; Mystical betrothal of Saint Catherine; Martyrdom of Saint
Catherine; Death of Saint Catherine; Prayer of Jesus in the Garden;
Entombment; Do not touch me; Saint Eulalia; St. Lucia; On its side walls
you can see, by Francesc Tramulles, who painted them in 1763, two
splendid canvases on the life and legend of Saint Stephen, former
dedication of the chapel: The Stoning of Saint Stephen and the
Miraculous Liberation of Gallerà de Pinós through the intercession of
Saint Stephen. They are two of the best works of Catalan painting of
their time.
Chapel of San Pedro Apóstol. It contains on the side
walls two paintings with scenes from the life of Saint Peter in relation
to Jesus. The two oil paintings on canvas were painted by an anonymous
artist in the 18th century. The altarpiece, dedicated to Saint Martin of
Tours and Saint Ambrose of Milan, was made by Joan Mates in 1415 with a
marked Franco-Flemish character. The piece of furniture presents eight
temples on panel with the following motifs: Calvary; Saint Martin and
Saint Ambrose; Birth of Saint Ambrose and the miracle of the swarm of
bees; Miraculous dream of Saint Martin; Consecration of Saint Ambrose as
Bishop of Milan; San Martín breaking his cape; Consecration of Saint
Martin as Bishop of Tours; Preaching of Saint Ambrose.
Chapel of San
Gabriel and Santa Elena. The Santo Cristo de Lepanto was in this chapel
until 1932. The altarpiece that exists today, formerly placed in the
cloister, is dedicated to Saint Gabriel the Archangel and includes 18
tempera paintings on panel by Lluís Borrasà, who painted them between
1381 and 1390. The motifs are: Calvary; The Annunciation Saint Daniel's
vision of the fight of the goat and the lamb; Apparition of the angel
over the Hidekel river; Doubt of Saint Joseph; Revelation of the angel
to Daniel; Annunciation to Zechariah of the birth of Saint John the
Baptist; Annunciation to the shepherds; Angel's warning to the Kings of
the East; Prayer in the Garden of Olives; Ascension; Flight to Egypt;
The three Marys before the tomb; Annunciation of the transfer of the
Mother of God; Nativity; Epiphany; Presentation in the Temple; Dormition
and Coronation of the Mother of God. On the sides of the Chapel hang two
oil paintings of anonymous authorship from the 18th century: The
Crowning with Thorns and The Prayer in the Garden of Olives.
Chapel
of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph. It was the chapel of the
carpenters' guild; Its patron saint was Saint John until the 17th
century, when it changed to Saint Joseph. The Renaissance altarpiece
dedicated to Saint John the Baptist is anonymous, from the year 1577. It
is made of polychrome carving, with doors painted in oil by Joan Mates
representing evangelists. The furniture, with four levels, attic and
five streets, contains the following images and scenes in relief (they
are listed from top to bottom and from left to right): Baptism of Jesus;
Annunciation to Saint Zacharias of the birth of Saint John; Birth of
Saint John; Saint John Baptist; Visitation of the Virgin; Preaching of
Saint John; Capture of San Juan; Imprisonment of Saint John; Herod's
Banquet; Beheading of San Juan; Prayer of Jesus in the Garden;
Flagellation of Jesus; Saint Joseph with the Child; Crowning with
thorns; Calvary Road; Saint Joseph; Saint John Baptist.
Chapel of the
Transfiguration of the Lord. Also called by Saint Benedict. The
altarpiece, one of the most important Gothic pieces in the Cathedral,
was made by Bernat Martorell in 1445/1452 on behalf of Bishop Simó
Salvador (†1445). On the left wall there is an arcosolium with the
mausoleum of Bishop Ponç de Gualba (†1334) with a Calvary that crowns it
by the artist Jaume Cascalls. On the right wall, carving of Saint
Benedict of Nursia.
Chapel of the Visitation. It was Canon Nadal
Garcés who commissioned the altarpiece in the year 1466/1475 from an
author who is unknown to us today. It is a triptych with the Visitation
scene and portraits of Saint Luke the Evangelist and Saint Sebastian the
Martyr. To its left appears the mausoleum of the 13th century Barcelona
bishop Berenguer de Palou, a funerary monument that was possibly part of
the old Romanesque cathedral. To his right, the modern tomb of Bishop
Pedro Martínez San Martín, head of the Archdiocese in 1832-1849. Today,
the Chapel of the Visitation is the Chapel of the Constantinian Order of
Saint George (Sacred and Military Constantinian Order of Saint George),
one of the oldest orders of Chivalry in Christianity, under the Grand
Magisterium of the Infante Don Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of
Calabria. The Order's delegation in Catalonia offered the restoration of
the Chapel as well as a sculpture of its patron saint. John Paul II
granted the Constantinian knights of Catalonia a relic of Saint George
and a plenary indulgence, from which the faithful can benefit every
April 23 after the solemn mass in which the knights serve in the Holy
Offices. Currently, both the Cardinal-Archbishop of Barcelona and the
Dean of the Cathedral and several canons belong to said order,
perpetuating an ancient tradition and the ancestral link of Catalonia
with the patron saint of Christian chivalry.
Chapel of San Antonio
Abad. This chapel belonged to the muleteers' guild. The baroque
altarpiece of the saint was made between 1690 and 1712; The sculptural
work corresponds to Joan Roig II and the polychrome was applied by Joan
Moxí. The masonry houses the following carvings and reliefs: Santo
Domingo de Guzmán; Saint Anthony Abbot; the Virgin of Carmen; San
Benito; San Francisco de Asis; Miracle of the mule of Saint Anthony of
Padua; Temptations of Saint Anthony; Miracle of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The side walls show some paintings related to Saint Anthony the Abbot
from the 18th century, which are currently anonymous. Following this
chapel is the sacristy.
The sacristy consists of three rooms; On the entrance wall there are
stone cresting elements crowned by a cross. In 1408 it was expanded with
the treasure room and in 1502 with the other room, where the priests
vest.
Among the pieces kept for worship, the processional
monstrance stands out, made of silver and gold with stone applications,
it is of Gothic architecture with some Renaissance elements. It is a
work from the end of the 14th century. The monastery with a stone virile
represents a Gothic cathedral. It rests on a chair donated by King
Martin the Human (1396-1410), as recorded in the inventory books of the
sacristy. The chair is made of carved wood—the work is so fine that it
is often read that it is a work of silver or goldsmithing—, gilded, in a
flamboyant Gothic style, it is portable and removable.
Also
important pieces are the processional cross of Francesc Vilardell from
the year 1383, made of gilded silver with images of the Crucifix and
Saint Eulalia, adorned with enamels of the four evangelists on the arms
of the cross, and the king's cross is worth highlighting. Martin from
the year 1398 with his Lignum Crucis.
And as worthy of mention,
the sword of Pedro de Portugal, Count of Barcelona, is also kept here
and is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
In the Cathedral are the remains of some sovereigns and royal persons
of the county of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon.
Next to the
sacristy, located in an elevated position on the wall, and against a
background of paintings from 1545 executed by the Portuguese painter
Enrique Ferrandis or Fernandes, are the tombs of:
Ramón Berenguer I,
count of Barcelona and
Almodis de la Marca, his wife.
It is
possible that during the construction of the Gothic cathedral the
remains of:
Ramón Borrell, count of Barcelona, and
Petronila of
Aragon, queen of Aragon, wife of Ramón Berenguer IV of Barcelona,
who had been buried in the old cathedral, and whose trace was lost.
On the other side of the nave, in front of this wall, and between
the transept and the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, in 1998 two stone
tombs were installed with the remains of the royal people who were
transferred in 1852 to the Cathedral, one of the cloister chapels, from
their original burial in the convent of Sant Francesc in Barcelona,
which had been demolished in 1837. The tombs have sculptures by Frederic
Marès.36 The preserved remains are from:
- in an urn:
Alfonso
the Liberal, king of Aragon and count of Barcelona
Jaime I of Urgel,
count of Urgel, and Frederick of Aragon, sons of Alfonso the Benigno
- on the other:
Constance of Sicily, wife of Peter the Great
Mary of Cyprus, wife of James the Just
Sibyl of Fortiá, fourth wife
of Pedro the Ceremonious
Eleanor of Aragón y Foix (1333-1416),
daughter of Pedro IV of Ribagorza and second wife of Pedro I of Cyprus,
king of Cyprus and Jerusalem.
During the time of Bishop Frodoí in the 9th century, the group of
canons was established and the new Gothic cloister is located in the
same place occupied by the primitive Romanesque one. Its construction
dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries and great architects such as
Andreu Escuder and sculptors such as the Claperós, father and son,
participated.
The cloister is accessed through the exterior doors
of La Piedad and Santa Eulalia, as well as the interior door of the
cathedral located in the transept, made of white marble with archivolts
with fine columns and a clearly Gothic tympanum.
This door that
connects the cathedral with the cloister opens on the opposite side to
the portal of San Ivo. Made of white Italian marble and Romanesque
workmanship, although it is slightly pointed, it is currently believed
that it was one of the side doors of the Romanesque cathedral, which was
located in the same place, although during the 20th century different
authors have been defending that It was the main door (moved and reduced
to convert the semicircular arch into a pointed arch) or it was a work
imported from an Italian workshop. It has archivolts decorated with
geometric motifs and on the capitals, the imposts and the abacuses there
are sculpted themes from the Old and New Testament and fights between
man and beasts. A later Gothic cresting has been added above the
archivolts that helps to integrate the door into the cathedral as a
whole.
In the center there is a garden renovated at the end of
the 19th century with magnolia trees and large palm trees and thirteen
white geese running around.
In the corner closest to the Puerta
de la Piedad you can see a small temple with the fountain by the master
builder Escuder, in the center of which there is a keystone with the
scene of Saint George fighting with the Dragon by the sculptors Antoni
and Joan Claperós from the year 1448 and another sculpture of Saint
George with a horse located in the center of the fountain's water spout.
This sculpture is the work of the contemporary sculptor Emili Colom,
made in 1970.
In the arches of the cloister you can see scenes
from the Old and New Testament, as well as the legend of the Tree of the
Holy Cross, in the reliefs carved in the capital-like strip that
surrounds the columns of the pointed arches.
In three of its
galleries there are chapels, which were originally under the patronage
of the patron of some institution or guild, as well as the pantheon of
some family, all of them are covered with a quadripartite ribbed vault
with vault keys in their union center. . As modernist chapels, those of
the Sanllehy family, made by the artist Josep Llimona, and that of the
Girona family, representing the three virtues, faith, hope and charity,
by the sculptor Manuel Fuxá; The crucifix is the work of the sculptor
Eduard Alentorn from 1910.
L'ou com balla (literally the egg
dances) is a tradition typical of the city of Barcelona, which takes
place on Corpus Christi day and is carried out at several fountains, one
of which is the one in the cathedral cloister.
It is located with an entrance through the north gallery of the
cloister, (the only one that does not have chapels) next to the chapel
of Santa Lucía. It consists of two rooms, the cabrevation room and the
new chapter house, from the 17th century with a rectangular floor plan
and covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, completely decorated with
paintings; On the central ceiling the Glorification of Saint Eulalia and
Saint Olegario is represented, on the sides they are painted with
allegorical figures with texts from the Holy Scriptures. It is the work
of the Barcelona painter Pau Prim.
The collection of works is not
very extensive, but it is significant. Of the old Romanesque temple, the
trefoil-shaped baptismal font from the 11th century stands out.
In painting, among various Gothic panels, the work of Bartolomé Bermejo
stands out, sponsored by the canon Lluís Desplá, La Piedad painted on
panel in 1490. By the painter Jaume Huguet, the altarpiece of San
Bernardino and the Guardian Angel from the years 1465/1470 .
Magnificent embroidered altar frontals are also on display, representing
scenes from the life of Jesus from the 15th century.
The
terracotta image of Santa Eulalia made by Antoni Claperós is the one
that had been placed in the tympanum of the Santa Eulalia door of the
Cathedral, where there is currently a reproduction.
Starting in 2005, reconstruction work began on the main façade along
with the two side towers and the dome. Due to the expansion that occurs
due to the change in temperature and the leakage of water into the
stones, which are anchored by iron elements, already oxidized, they
broke with the danger of falling.
The architects in charge of its
restoration are Josep Fuses i Comalada and Mercè Zazurca i Codolà. Its
initial budget was more than four million euros, which together with
other subsequent studies to reinforce the perimeter of the cathedral,
amounts to about seven million; A third of the façade will have to be
dismantled and the shattered stones and iron anchors replaced with
stainless steel or titanium anchors. In principle the stone will be like
the original from Montjuïc. Although the quarry was already closed, the
city council had stone stored in its municipal warehouses. If there were
not enough reserves, a similar stone would be brought from Scottish
quarries.
Xavier Barral i Altet narrates some of the numerous legends and
customs about the cathedral.
According to popular belief, on
Fridays it was bad luck to collide two or more keys; When the cathedral
had to close, it was announced precisely with the noise caused by the
clash of keys, except on Friday when a bell was rung and the altar boys
carried the keys, one in each hand.
It is said that the death of
the canons was announced by Saint Benedict three days before, with three
blows of the mace on the vault so that it would resonate throughout the
temple and if it was the bishop he would ring the Tomasa bell, also
three times.
When the Corpus Christi procession left, the cannons
of Montjuïc Castle announced it with cannon shots and all the doors of
the city wall were closed, until the Custody re-entered the cathedral.
Below the organ was hung the carassa (caraza), a cardboard scapegoat
(it was placed after the battle of Lepanto), which on the day of the
Holy Innocents, when the organist played a lower note, opened its mouth
and threw it out. treats for her. Since 1970 it has been located in the
clerestory of the cathedral.
It was popular belief that the
sculptures of the Gothic façade had been sculpted and were hidden
underground, on the steps at the entrance to the cathedral, awaiting the
construction of the façade; When work on the main façade was carried out
in the 19th century, many people came to see the sculptures being
removed; Since this is not the case, new rumors have been created about
his destiny.