![\"Girona](\"https:\/\/www.vintagetravel.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/shutterstock_149826965-710x470.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSome grand churches do not need a plethora of gold ornamentation to make them impressive, they can rely on their imposing form. This is definitely the case with Girona Cathedral. This inspiring cathedral was built over several centuries. The entrance is via a large staircase from the late 17th century, but the frontal fa\u00e7ade is Baroque, with the cloisters constructed in the 12th century, and the bell tower coming from the 11th century. Any remaining bits of this architecturally-diverse construction tend to be 14th century.<\/p>\n
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From the outside the Cathedral of Girona looks somewhat austere and upright, with an impressive large round central window looking out like a sentinel over the town. Once inside, the first impression is that the Gothic nave looks incredibly wide. You would be right, as it spans some 23 metres and is one of the widest in Europe. Building this Gothic nave must have been an incredible feat of engineering by the master builders at the time, considering all they had was wood and rope!<\/p>\n
The Cathedral is also home to a museum, which contains two of the most significant works of medieval European art: One is the Creation Tapestry (11th-12th centuries), which is an incredibly large piece showing different scenes from the Creation. The other is the Beatus, (10th century) meaning\u00a0blessed\u00a0in Medieval Latin, it depicts someone who has been beatified, the stage before being declared a saint. It is an ancient manuscript that is decorated with very small illustrations dating from 975 AD.<\/p>\n
Other impressive features to look out for in this inspiring cathedral include an early Christian sarcophagus (4th century), an alter stone from the 11th century, a high altar reredos made of silver, enamel, and stones, as well as a classic example of Spanish metalwork.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss the little chapels at the side, which contain some familiar saints including St. George. The cloisters are well worth visiting, with fascinating carvings on the pillars, and scenes from the old and New Testament.<\/p>\n
There is a charge to enter the rather special and magical Cathedral of Girona, but it is well worth it and includes a self-guide tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some grand churches do not need a plethora of gold ornamentation to make them impressive, they can rely on their imposing form. This is definitely the case with Girona Cathedral. This inspiring cathedral was built over several centuries. The entrance is via a large staircase from the late 17th century, but the frontal fa\u00e7ade is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[861,876,794],"class_list":["post-6242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do-in-spain","tag-catalonia","tag-girona","tag-spain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n