La Seu Cathedral

La Seu Cathedral in the center of the Gothic district was built on the site of the first Basilica of the city. That first Basilica had been erected by the Romans in 343 AD. The Roman Basilica had replaced a Roman temple that previously stood on the same site. The Basilica was transformed into a Mosque by the Moors until the Catalan Count Ramón Berenguer I ordered the construction of a new Cathedral.

The new Basilica was built between 1046 & 1058. In 1268 a little chapel was built nearby & was later incorporated into the Cathedral cloister. In 1298 construction of the current Cathedral started under King Jaume II with the existing Romanesque building being demolished.

The main building of the cathedral was completed in 1460 while the Gothic façade was finished hundreds of years later in 1889, a period when the whole neighborhood acquired its Gothic “garment”. The remaining part of the church was finally completed in 1913.

The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona one of the first martyrs of Barcelona, tortured and burned to death by the local Roman governor in 303 AD during the reign of emperor Diocletian.  As is the case in most European capitals, the city’s cathedral represents way more than just the religious history of the place.

Many of the events that shaped the history of Barcelona unfolded under the dome of La Seu. The Catalan word seu means ‘seat’ and is used as a reference to the seat of the diocese of Barcelona.

The adjoining cloister completed in 1448, located just around the corner from the cathedral is also worth a visit. Its covered walkway surrounds a charming secret garden-like courtyard with tall palm trees providing shade. More