An imposing church rises in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, beside the walls of the ancient Roman Barcino. It is Barcelona Cathedral, the city’s main church, built in the Gothic style. The origins of this temple date back to the 4th century, when devotion to Saint Eulalia began. According to tradition, Eulalia was a young girl who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Legend says that the young Eulalia travelled from her hometown of Sarrià to Roman Barcino to confront the governor about the persecution of Christians. As punishment for following a forbidden religion, she suffered as many tortures as the years she had lived: 13. After enduring the final torment, it is said that her soul rose to heaven in the form of a white dove emerging from her open mouth.

Her remains were buried in the church of Santa María de las Arenas (today Santa Maria del Mar) and later transferred, as relics of a saint, to Barcelona Cathedral, from where they disappeared during one of the plunderings suffered by the temple during the Spanish Civil War.

Beyond the legends, there is evidence that Barcelona already had an episcopal church or cathedral by the end of the 4th century. Recent excavations have also uncovered a three-aisled building separated by rows of white marble columns, which is believed to correspond to the early Christian basilica built in Barcelona during that period.

Later, in the 11th century, construction began on a Romanesque cathedral built on the foundations of the original temple. Then, in 1298, a third structure was built over it: the current Gothic cathedral. However, the cathedral did not acquire its present appearance until the end of the 19th century, thanks to a renovation that included a new façade and the two lateral towers, following the original 15th-century plans. The work was completed in 1913 with the construction of the central spire.

The cathedral consists of three naves with a single apse. The typical Catalan Gothic structure, designed to make use of the interior spaces between the buttresses, allowed the construction of a continuous series of side chapels surrounding the basilica. Above the chapels, in the lateral naves, runs a high gallery with windows opening onto the exterior wall.

One of the highlights of the architectural complex is its medieval cloister, considered a jewel in itself thanks to the medieval guild emblems of Barcelona, its pond, and the statue of Saint George. The cloister is also guarded by 13 geese, whose presence is linked to legend. According to tradition, each goose represents one of the 13 martyrdoms suffered by Saint Eulalia, as well as the age she was when executed.

Other myths tell of an attempted robbery of the cathedral that was foiled thanks to the loud honking of the geese when they detected intruders, leading to their continued presence as guardians of the site.

Inside the museum is displayed one of the city’s most important treasures: the golden throne of King Martin the Humane, the last Catalan monarch without a legitimate heir, who declared that only Jesus Christ could occupy it after his death.