Visit Girona in Barcelona

One of the first things to visit in Barcelona is the Girona, a city full of sublime medieval architecture,
the cathedral is the jewel in the crown. It is reached by a stairway of 90 steps, which creates a suitably
dramatic approach to the looming Baroque façade of the building. The entrance gives way to a largely
Gothic interior, which includes the widest nave of this kind in the world. The 14th-century silver altarpiece
by Bartomeu i Andreu incorporates elements from a 12th-century Romanesque altar. This priceless object
was saved during the Civil War by being shipped to Paris. Now it can be appreciated in all its glory; 10 of
the 12 statues that once presided over the Apostle’s Gate were, alas, not so fortunate.

The atmospheric cloister and most of the bell tower are all that remain of the original Romanesque church.
Reliefs that decorate the cloister’s columns portray the torments of hell in lurid detail, and were designed to
impress upon young novices the need for stricture.

The cathedral’s museum holds a fabulous Tapestry of the Creation – a unique 12th-century wall-hanging
that depicts Christ creating the world. Bizarre halffish,half-bird creatures appear, having clearly arisen
from the artist’s overly fertile imagination.

The historic centre of Girona is one of the bestpreserved medieval cities in Europe, giving visitors the
opportunity to walk through streets that have changed little in 500 years. One of the city’s earliest extant
buildings is the Banys Àrabs (Arab Baths) on C/Ferran el Catòlic. The name is a little misleading, however.
The baths were built in the late 12th century in the Mudéjar-Romanesque style (which incorporated
elements of Arab architecture), but were probably first used by the city’s Jewish population, which was considerable in the Middle Ages. Much later, in the 17th century, the baths were subsumed into a Capuchin
convent, and used as a kitchen and laundry.Built on the Onyar, Girona is also famous for the
Venetian-style houses that line the river.