Barcelona Cathedral (Cathedral of Santa Eulalia)

May 9, 2007 on 7:43 am | In Uncategorized |

The Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia (also called La Seu) is the Gothic cathedral seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Though sometimes inaccurately so called, the famous Sagrada Família is not a cathedral.) La Seu was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries on top of a former Visigothic church. The Gothic-like façade is from the 19th century.

The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in Barcelona. One story is that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snow fall in mid spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called ‘Baixada de Santa Eulalia’). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral’s crypt.

One side chapel is dedicated to “Christ of Lepanto”, and contains a cross from a ship that fought at the Battle of Lepanto (1571). The body of the cross is shifted to the right. Spanish legend says that the body swerved to avoid getting hit by a cannonball. This is believed to have been a sign from God that the Ottomans would be defeated.

The cathedral has a secluded Gothic cloister where thirteen white geese are kept (it is said that Eulalia was 13 when she was murdered).

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