Catedral de la Seu Review

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Catedral de la Seu

  • Address: Pl. de la Seu, Barri Gòtic, Barcelona, Catalonia
  • Phone: 93/342-8260
  • www.catedralbcn.org

Fodor's Review:

On Saturday afternoons, Sunday mornings, and occasional evenings, Barcelona folk gather in the Plaça de la Seu to dance the sardana, a somewhat demure circular dance and a great symbol of Catalan identity. The Gothic cathedral was built between 1298 and 1450, with the spire and neo-Gothic facade added in 1892. Architects of Catalan Gothic churches strove to make the high altar visible to the entire congregation, hence the unusually wide central nave and slender side columns. The first thing you see upon entering the Catedral de la Seu are the high relief sculptures on the choir stalls, telling the story of Santa Eulàlia (Barcelona's co-patron along with La Mercé, Our Lady of Mercy). The first scene, on the left, shows St. Eulàlia in front of Roman Consul Decius with her left hand on her heart and her right hand pointing at a cross in the distance. In the next scene, Eulàlia is tied to a column and flagellated by Decius's thugs. To the right of the choir entrance, the senseless Eulàlia is hauled away, and in the final scene she is lashed to the X-shape cross upon which she was crucified in the year 303. To the right of this high relief is a sculpture of St. Eulàlia with her cross, resurrected as a living saint. Other highlights are the beautifully carved choir stalls; St. Eulàlia's tomb in the crypt; and the battle-scarred crucifix in the Lepanto Chapel to the right of the main entrance. The tall cloisters surround a tropical garden, and outside, at the building's front right corner, is the intimate Santa Llúcia chapel. The cathedral is floodlit in striking yellows at night, and the stained-glass windows are backlit. During "Special Visits," from 1 to 5 PM, visitors can see entire cathedral, museum, bell tower, and rooftop.

  • Cost: 1-5PMSpecial Visit: EUR 5.50; the rest of the time free
  • Open: Daily 7:45AM-7:45PM
  • Metro: Catalunya, Liceu, Jaume I
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