Which church took the longest to be built?
If you thought of the Sagrada Familia, you are wrong. The construction of the façade of the Barcelona’s Cathedral took 6 centuries to be completed. Did you know that?
No doubt that the Sagrada Familia is the most famous church in the city, and it is incredibly beautiful (and you can get inside for free), but to be honest, the Cathedral stole my heart since the first time I saw it.
With its Gothic architecture, this construction is definitely one of a kind. Actually the entire Bairro Gótico, where it is located, is a time travel. You fill like you had gone back in time few centuries.
There are some curiosities about this Cathedral that not everybody know, and I brought them to you. Right it down to be the smartest one in the group on your next travel!
1 – Its official name is the Cathedral of Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia, as it is dedicated to one of the patron saints of Barcelona;
2 – It began to be built more than 720 years ago on the site of an old Romanesque church, which had previously been early Christian;
3 – The façade and dome of Barcelona Cathedral were not built until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So its style, in reality, is neo-Gothic. You can even see the difference of the stones if you compare the façade with the lateral wall;
4 – In the cathedral garden, where the cloister is located, live the 13 white geese of Santa Eulàlia, one for each of the martyrdoms she suffered;
5 – Its 21 bells have women’s names, and each of them is used according to a specific festivity or a specific moment;
6 – The symbol of the cathedral is a cross in the shape of a cross blade. Legend has it that it was one of the martyrdoms that Saint Eulalia, matron of the city, received in her act of disobedience to the governor of Barcino by refusing to renounce the Christian faith;
7 – It is one of the temples with the most gargoyles in the world. With up to 250 of them;
8 – Inside is a door that leads to nowhere. It was originally built so that Martin I the Humane could go from the cathedral to the Palau Reial without anyone seeing him;
9 – Legend says that Barcelona Cathedral holds a treasure that even Hitler wanted to buy for his own personal collection. It is the golden throne of Martin I the Humane;
10 – The figure of this monument is closely related to exorcism. Juan Carlos Gallego, one of the best known exorcists in the world, works in the cathedral itself. It is said that the devil has been seen in its interior on several occasions.
BONUS: Did you know the original name of the city was Barcino? The street, on the right side of the Cathedral Square, was the main entrance of the city and the name of it, Barcino, was placed in there as a tribute, preserving its history.
