Eliot's Travels

Catedral

The Catedral is a beautiful example of Catalan gothic architecture, constructed between 1298 and 1460. The cathedral is in the heart of the Barri Gotic, the Gothic Quarter. We visited in the late afternoon during their "special visit" times. This gave us the run of the church for a single admission fee.

Inside the church, the baptistry is where the six Native Americans brought back by Columbus in 1493 as souvenirs and proof of his discoveries were allegedly baptised. This is one of the few churches spared the arson attacks of the anarchists during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), so it has retained it's original ornamentation. This elaborate altar is from 1697.

Through a Romanesque door, we headed out to the nice cloister; the guidebook says that the chaplains have kept honking geese around the fountain from time immemorial (though no one is sure why). The chapel of Santa Llucia was quite simple and beautiful. The tower of the cathedral was undergoing rennovation, so we got a nice view of the stained glass.
Jim and I took a quick trip to the roof for a nice view of the city. I felt a little wary on the boardwalk - it was along the ridge of the nave. Up top, there was a beautiful view of Montjuic - the highest point in Barcelona. This picture shows the Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). Also on top of Montjuic is the Palau Sant Jordi, Olympic Stadium and contemporary communications tower built for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

posted by Whitney @ 5:48 AM