Gothic – a European artGothic was the predominant style in Euro-

pe, during the 13-15th C. It succeededRomanesque art and preceded the goldenage of the Renaissance. It is thought to haveoriginated in the Île-de-France and wasknow as opus francigenum till Vasari gave itthe name which has endured. It evolvedfrom the first Cistercian monasteries and thebasilica of Saint-Denis (1144), to the greatfully Gothic Cathedrals (Chartres, Reims,Cologne, Lyon, etc.) and to the typicallyEnglish perpendicular, flamboyant style.

One of its characteristics is the structuraldevelopment of the pointed arch. Another isthe ribbed vault, which made it possible tobuild increasingly complex and lofty build-ings. Gothic architecture is much richer thanRomanesque in plastic and expressive re-sources. Its interest lies, not only in its archi-tectural innovations —buttresses and flyingbuttresses, fascicled pillars, pinnacles,gables, spires, rose windows, etc.— but alsoin its new conception of space.

Gothic art emerged at a time when royalpower was being consolidated and feudalbonds were loosening. This led to the ap-pearance of a specifically urban social class,the bourgeoisie, and to the development ofgovernmental and administrative institutionssuch as parliaments, city councils, guildsand other professional bodies. As a result,cities grew and trade flourished, both factorsbeing decisive in the evolution of Gothic art.It was an age of new forms of religious devo-tion, introduced by the mendicant orders, ofscholastic philosophy and of great ency-clopaedic compendiums; of the founding ofuniversities and the development of urbanculture which was to give rise to humanism;of the works of Dante and Ramon Llull; ofthe cultural world of the court and chivalry;of the poetry of troubadours and of Ars Novain music.

Thus it was the cities which provided theenvironment conducive to the developmentof Gothic art and, while cathedrals are thearchetype of the style, it produced equallyrepresentative royal palaces, castles andmansions, as well as buildings to house in-stitutions (hospitals, trade exchanges),bridges, city walls and even city planning.Initially the plastic arts were closely linked toarchitecture (sculptures to decorate thegreat façades, wall paintings, etc.). Soon,however, the quest began for individualizaedexpression and refinement, as is apparent inpainted and sculpted altarpieces, tombs, re-ligious statues, choir stalls, gold and silver-ware, etc., many of which may still be ad-mired in the great museums.

Gothic art in CataloniaCatalan Gothic style, while possessing a distinct personality of its

own, belongs to the Mediterranean form of Gothic art, which was in-spired by a slightly different spirit from that prevailing further north.The political expansion of Catalonia throughout the Mediterranean,which culminated in the 14th C., facilitated contacts with major cen-tres of Italian art and kept Catalan Gothic art within a cultural environ-ment where the values of classicism were still latent. Explicit proof ofthis is provided by the words of praise written by King Peter III theCeremonious, the patron of important works of Gothic architecture,about the Acropolis in 1380: “the richest jewel in the world, such thatall living kings of Christian peoples could create something similar”.The Catalan kings, however, were also attracted by the artistic splen-dour of the Courts of Paris and Burgundy, and, especially during the15th C., considerable influence was exerted by the Low Countries andthe Germanic world generally.

Catalan Gothic art was therefore an integral part of Europeantrends while making an original and creative contribution of its own.The vitality of Catalan society is perhaps most visible in CatalanGothic architecture, with its sense of proportion, its simplicity of form,its emphasis on breadth over height, the creation of compact vol-umes, the integration of structural elements, and so on. This style isnot peculiar to Catalonia proper: it embraced the whole territory ofthe Kingdom of Aragon, particularly the other Catalan-speakingcountries, such as Valencia and the Balearic Islands, but also Aragonitself, Sardinia and Naples.

The transition from Romanesque to Gothic lasted throughout the12th and 13th C. It was not until the second half of the 13th C. that a ful-ly Gothic style emerged in the fields of architecture and the plasticarts. Architecture reached full maturity in the veritable frenzy of build-ing and renovation which began in 1300. Linear Gothic was outmod-ed when Italian trends in the plastic arts, especially painting, ap-peared and these remained highly fertile throughout the 14th C.International Gothic took over towards 1400 and was enriched, in itsfinal stages, by Flemish, Germanic and Italian influences. Gothic artbecame firmly established in Catalonia, as is shown by the survival ofGothictype tastes throughout much of the 16th C. and the use ofGothic techniques in architecture even later on.

The geography of Gothic artThe Catalan Gothic heritage covers virtually the whole country,

though it is richer in some regions than others. The first distinction isbetween socalled Old and New Catalonia (Catalunya Vella andCatalunya Nova), which were resettled at different periods. In OldCatalonia, to the north of the traditional route to Aragon through thecentral highlands, settlement took place when Romanesque art was infull swing. Romanesque took root there and Gothic styles were not in-troduced until the end of the 13th C. when they had already reachedmaturity. In contrast, major building in New Catalonia got underway af-ter the Christian conquest, which was completed in the mid-12th C., atthe time of the transition between Romanesque and Gothic, when theCistercians and the military orders were playing an important part.

The second distinction is between the cities and the countryside.The growth and prosperity of the cities caused earlier buildings to bereplaced, as in the case of Barcelona Cathedral and many otherchurches which had become too small. It also led to the establish-ment of new civil buildings (trade exchanges, shipyards, city halls,royal palaces) and military constructions (city walls). The arrival of themendicant orders was another factor. Dominicans and Franciscansestablished religious houses in major towns such as Vilafranca delPenedès, Montblanc, Tortosa, Balaguer, or Puigcerdà. In the country-side, however, with the exception of a few minor churches, Gothic artis mainly to be found in the great Cistercian monasteries, in thefortresses of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers (Miravet,Ulldecona and Gardeny), in numerous castles and palaces (Vilassarde Dalt, Verdú, La Floresta, Peratallada, etc.), in hospices, and in spa-cious manor houses or masos.

The routes we propose follow the main thoroughfares in Catalonia.They offer a wide range of Catalan Gothic art, from important monu-ments and extensive tours of major cities and towns, to more modestbuildings whose charm is often enhanced by beautiful scenery or otherattractions. At the end is a list of the main Catalan museums withGothic exhibits. It should be remembered that only the more importantmonuments and large city museums have fixed visiting hours. Manychurches are closed for security reasons when no service is in progressand the key must be obtained from the town hall or a nearby house.Tourist Offices will be pleased to help you plan your visits.

outes of Gothic

Lleida: cloister of the Seu Vella

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meeting point of the main thoroughfares of the old Roman castrum. Before vis-iting the City Hall, it is worth making a short detour towards the Carrer delCall and the quaint narrow adjoining streets, which in the Middle Agesformed the Jewish quarter.

Opposite the Palau de la Generalitat, on the Plaça de Sant Jaume, is theCasa de la Ciutat (City Hall). The Saló de Cent inside and the façade over-looking the Carrer de la Ciutat bear witness to the splendour of the MiddleAges. Proceeding along the Carrer d’Hèrcules (a reference to the mythicalfounder of Barcelona), we come to the Placeta de Sant Just where, facing thefine Gothic church of Sant Just i Pastor, is a charming Gothic fountain. Closeby is the Palau de la Comtessa de Palamós, now the Academia de BonesLletres. We follow the Carrer de la Dagueria and Carrer de Jaume I to thePlaça de l’Àngel. We cross the bustling Via Laietana, which momentarilybreaks the spell of the medieval atmosphere, and walk along the Carrer de laPrincesa to the Carrer de Montcada, one of the most fascinating streets in OldBarcelona, flanked by mansions which are fine examples of Catalan Gothic ar-chitecture. Most are now museums (Museu Picasso, Museu Barbier-Mueller) orattractive shops and art galleries.

At the bottom of the Carrer de Montcada is the Carreró de les Mosques, thenarrowest street in Barcelona, which brings us to the apse of the church ofSanta Maria del Mar, known as the ‘Cathedral of La Ribera’ from the name ofthe former harbour district. Of all the creations of Catalan Gothic architecture,this is perhaps the most universally admired on account of the beauty and har-mony of its proportions. The Carrer de l’Espaseria brings us to the Plaça delPalau which faces the harbour and the popular district of La Barceloneta. Inthe middle of the square is an unusual fountain dedicated to the ‘Catalan spir-it’, while on the right stands the Llotja, a remarkable Gothic building with aneoclassical façade, formerly the trade exchange and the former home of theBarcelona Stock Exchange.

West of the Llotja is the Plaça d’Antoni López. Our tour continues along thewide palm-tree lined Passeig de Colom, which runs parallel to the former Mollde la Fusta (timber quay) and the Marina. We cross the avenue half way alongand walk up the Carrer Ample back into the Old City to admire the fineGothic statue of the patroness of Barcelona, the Virgin of La Mercè, in theBaroque church of the same name.

At the end of the Passeig de Colom is the Plaça de la Porta de la Pau, the sea-farer’s entrance to Barcelona. In the middle of the square, at the end of theRambla, stands one of the city’s most familiar sights, the monument toChristopher Columbus, while on the western side are the Drassanes, medievalshipyards consisting of a series of Gothic halls whose elegance and spaciousnessare ample proof of the power of the Catalan fleet in the Middle Ages. Thebuilding now houses the interesting Museu Marítim and adjoining it, on the side nearest the Avinguda del Paral·lel, is part of the restored 14 th C. city walls.

We now stroll up the Rambla, Barcelona’s most popular avenue, enjoying thelively atmosphere and the numerous attractions such as flower stalls and petshops, until we reach our starting point, the Pla de l’Os. A short walk from heretakes us along the Carrer de l’Hospital to the magnificent former Hospital dela Santa Creu, basically Gothic with later additions, whose elegant rooms nowhouse the Biblioteca de Catalunya. Off the northernmost end of the Rambla,on the right-hand side, just before the Plaça de Catalunya, the old church of theCol·legiata de Santa Anna stands in a surprisingly quiet square with a monu-mental cross in Romanesque-Gothic transition style.

Our visit to the Old City is complete, but several interesting Gothic buildingsremain to be seen elsewhere in Barcelona. There are two Gothic churches in theEixample district (built in the 19 th C. on plans by Ildefons Cerdà, followingthe demolition of the city walls): the parish church of La Concepció, on Ca-rrer d’Aragó between Carrer del Bruc and Carrer de Llúria, and the church ofMontsió, on the Rambla de Catalunya. Both churches were taken apart stoneby stone to prevent their being destroyed by the urban renewal and subsequentlyrebuilt in their present locations, where they stand in contrast with the sur-rounding Modernist architecture.

Further from the centre, in Sarrià (now a residential district of Barcelonabut until 1921 an independent borough), is the magnificent monastery ofPedralbes. Nuns of the order of Saint Clare still inhabit this fine group ofwalled buildings where several remarkable Gothic murals and sculptures arepreserved. It is also worth travelling eastwards up the coast to see the remark-able late Gothic monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra on the outskirts of theneighbouring city of Badalona.

Barcelona, one of the greatcities of the Mediterranean,became the capital of Ca-talonia in the Middle Agesthanks to the political su-premacy of the Counts ofBarcelona over the otherCatalan counts and especial-ly to its flourishing sea trade.The kings of the confederat-ed kingdom of Catalonia-Aragon, who normally re-sided in Barcelona from the13th C. onwards, pursued apolicy of territorial expan-sion with the support of apowerful oligarchy of patri-cians and merchants. By the14th C., Barcelona was amajor Mediterranean powerand remained so throughoutthe 15th C., despite increas-ingly acute social and politi-cal crises.

The fact that the Gothic age coincided with this era of affluence accounts forthe wealth of Barcelona’s Gothic heritage. Much renovation took place at thistime throughout Catalonia, more especially in the lively capital where it affect-ed the Romanesque Cathedral, the churches in many districts both inside andoutside the walls, ancient palaces, mansions and hospitals. New city walls wereerected, premises were built to house the City Council and the permanent dele-gation of members of Parliament, while religious orders, attracted by the pros-perity of the city, opened monasteries and convents.

The Gothic heritage is concentrated in the Ciutat Vella (Old City) withinthe former city walls, which were pulled down in the mid 19 th C. during an-other period of economic and demographic growth. The Old City, with itsmaze of narrow streets, has preserved part of its medieval flavour. The area im-mediately surrounding the Cathedral, where the seats of the main public bodiesare located, is known as the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter). The name is some-what inaccurate since it corresponds to the old Roman city and therefore alsocomprises important Roman remains, while many Gothic buildings are locatedin other parts of the Old City (Santa Maria del Mar, Drassanes, Llotja, etc.).

A good starting point for a tour of Barcelona’s Gothic buildings is the Pla del’Ós, or Pla de la Boqueria, where the lively and popular Rambla meets thestreets of Sant Pau, L’Hospital, La Boqueria and Cardenal Casañas. We followthe gentle curve of the latter street to the Plaça del Pi, overshadowed by thechurch of El Pi with its large rose window. From the Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol,where there is a monument to the playwright Àngel Guimerà, we walk alongthe narrow winding Carrer de la Palla, which has antique and secondhandbook shops on either side, to the Plaça Nova, at the end of the wide Avingudade la Catedral. Here one of the main gates to the old city still stands on whatwas once part of the Roman walls, protected by two cylindrical medieval tow-ers. Next to it is the Palau del Bisbe and opposite, the modern Col·legid’Arquitectes, adorned by a sgraffiti frieze designed by Picasso.

More remains of the Roman walls line the avenue, which leads to steps up tothe main door of the Cathedral. A fine Gothic building, the Pia Almoina,stands on the Pla de la Seu. After a detailed visit to the spacious and majesticCathedral, we leave by the Porta de Sant Iu, which opens onto the Carrer delsComtes de Barcelona. On one side of this medieval street stands the Palau delLloctinent, which was the home of the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó for manyyears, while at the end is the Baixada de Santa Clara which brings us to the en-chanting Plaça del Rei, enclosed by the splendid Gothic Palau Reial Major andits chapel of Santa Àgata which is well worth visiting, as is the Museud’Història in the late Gothic Casa Padellàs.

We walk back up the Baixada de Santa Clara and along the Carrer de laPietat, which skirts the Cathedral apse, to look at the restored Cases delsCanonges. We then proceed up the Carrer del Bisbe, which runs along the sideof the Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of the Catalan autonomous govern-ment, a fine example of Catalan Gothic civil architecture. This brings us outonto the Plaça de Sant Jaume, the political hub of Barcelona and once the

Main historicbuildingsCasa de la Ciutat (Pl. de Sant Jau-me). Home of the city council sincethe Middle Ages. Important parts ofthe buildings, on which work beganin 1370, have been preserved. Lateradditions date mostly from the 19-20th C. Major features of the originalmain façade (1400-02) by ArnauBargués, overlooking the Carrer dela Ciutat, are the windows, the largeporch with voussoirs, and fine sculp-tures, including an archangel attrib-uted to Pere Sanglada. The oldestpart is the Saló de Cent (1st floor),where the Consell de Cent (the gen-eral assembly of the city council)met. The architect was Pere Llobet,and it is reminiscent of the Tinell,with diaphragm semicircular archesupholding a wooden panelled ceil-ing. The altarpiece known as Retauledels Consellers (1444-45), the mas-terpiece of Lluís Dalmau, presently inthe MNAC, comes from the formerchapel.

Cases dels Canonges (C/ delBisbe). Group of Gothic houses be-hind the Cathedral where thecanons resided. Much restored inrecent times. The bridge to thePalau de la Generalitat is a neo-Gothic recreation. Currently the of-ficial residence of the President ofthe Catalan Generalitat (autono-mous government).

Cathedral (Pla de la Seu). TheCathedral replaced a Romanesquechurch and the original early Chris-tian building. Work began in 1298.The author of the original plans isunknown, but in the 14th C. the mas-ter builders were Jaume Fabré (fromMajorca), Bernat Roca and ArnauBargués. Nave, two aisles and am-bulatory, chapels between the but-tresses, except two spaces whichform a small transept. Outside, two octagonal towers ateither end of the transept. Mainfaçade and spire built from 1885onwards, on a design (1408) by theCarlí master. Several interestingdoorways: Porta de Sant Iu, Portade la Pietat (relief, 1483-90, byMichael Lochner), Porta de SantaEulàlia (mid-15th C. statue by AntoniClaperós), and Porta de la capellade Santa Llúcia (in the cloister).Outstanding features of the cloister(built in several stages and com-pleted in the mid-15th C.) are theiron railings of the windows and

Barcelona

Cathedral Church of El Pi Monastery of Pedralbes Carrer de la Pietat

City Hall

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

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chapels and the keystones in theceiling, especially that over thelavabo (1448), by Antoni Claperós,which represents Saint George.The windows over the aisles areset far back letting in only subduedlight (only those over the chancelgive direct light). Outstandingcarved choir stalls (1394 onwards)mostly by Pere Sanglada. Thewood was brought from the LowCountries. Crypt of Santa Eulàliabelow the high altar with magnifi-cent alabaster tomb (1327-29) bythe Italian Master sculptor Lupo diFrancesco from Pisa (1327). Otherinteresting tombs are those of SantRamon de Peñafort (14th C.), and ofbishop Sant Oleguer (1406, byPere Sanglada), located in the for-mer Sala Capitular (chapter house),which is by the architect ArnauBargués. Remarkable painted al-tarpieces: Sant Gabriel, an earlywork by Lluís Borrassà; SantAmbrós i Sant Martí (1411-14), byJoan Mates; Transfiguration, a ma-jor work by Bernat Martorell (1445-52). Two exceptionally fine piecesof silverware (c. 1400) in the sac-

risty: processional monstrance(custòdia) on a silver chair (knownas Cadira del Rei Martí). In thesmall Museu Capitular: La Pietat,an extraordinarily realistic painting(1490) by Bartolomé Bermejo donefor the archdeacon Lluís Desplà,who is portrayed in it. Opposite thecloister, Casa de l’Ardiaca, builtover the Roman Wall, with alter-ations by the aforementionedDesplà.

La Concepció (C/ d’Aragó, 305).Parish church in the Eixample (dis-trict built during the 19th C. Outsidethe former city walls). The churchand cloister belonged to the Con-vent of Santa Maria de Jonqueres, inthe Carrer de Jonqueres, which wasabandoned in 1835 and transferredstone by stone to its present site in1871-88. The original early 15th C.Gothic structure was respected, ex-cept for minor alterations. One naveand polygonal apse, chapels be-tween the buttresses, cloister withelegant galleries of archways withcapitals and columns made inGirona.

Drassanes (Pg. de Josep Carner).Medieval shipyards near the portwhich, together with the nearbyLlotja (trade exchange), are elo-quent proof of the importance ofthe Catalan fleet and sea trade dur-ing the Middle Ages. They are thelargest and best preserved ship-yards from this period in the world.Built on the site of earlier shipyardsat a time when Catalan power in theMediterranean was at its height(14th C.). Simple, functional designconsisting of a series of long paral-lel halls, facing the sea, with char-acteristic diaphragm arches hold-ing up the roof. Now the home ofthe Museu Marítim, which containsa reproduction, made in the ship-yards themselves, of the galleycommanded by John of Austria atthe Battle of Lepanto (1571).Next to the Drassanes is a stretchof the medieval city walls, includinga square tower and gate (Portal deSanta Madrona, or de La Dras-sana). This is the only surviving por-tion of the third set of fortified walls(the first was Roman, and the sec-ond was built in the 13th C. alongthe Rambla). It enclosed the oldRaval district and was built in thesecond half of the 14th C. on the or-ders of Peter III the Ceremonious.The rest was pulled down for devel-opment in 1854.

Hospital de la Santa Creu (C/ del’Hospital). Hospital founded in1401 when the City’s Council de-cided to merge the various old cityhospitals. Usual layout: wings sur-rounding a central courtyard, withgalleries or archways reminiscentof a cloister. Spacious rooms onthe upper floors with diaphragmarches holding up a wooden ceil-ing. Later additions include Renais-sance features and new buildings:Casa de Convalescència (Baroque,17th C.), Col·legi de Cirurgia, nowAcadèmia de Medicina (neo-Clas-sical, 18th C.). Medical serviceswere transferred at the beginning of the 20th C. to the ModernistHospital de Sant Pau by Domènechi Montaner. The building now hous-

es the Biblioteca de Catalunya andother cultural and academic institu-tions. A traditional fair —Fira deSant Ponç— which is held on theCarrer de l’Hospital is a reminder ofthe former merchants of medicinalherbs.

Llotja (Pl. d’Antoni López). Formertrade exchange of Barcelona mer-chants, built in the 14th C. oppositethe port at a time when Catalantrade in the Mediterranean was atits height. Rebuilt in neoclassicalstyle at the end of the 18th C. butthe main Gothic structures insidewere preserved. Work began soonafter 1350 under the direction ofPere Llobet. 1392 marked the com-pletion of the large Sala de Con-tractacions, by the architect PereArvei: single spacious hall consist-ing of a series of large semicirculararches on polylobed columns sup-porting a wooden ceiling. It wasused as a centre of commerce andalso for celebrations and enter-tainment. In 1971, another Gothicroom, the Sala dels Cònsols, wasdiscovered.

La Mercè (Pl. de la Mercè).Baroque church of the formerConvent of Mercedarians (orderfounded in Barcelona in 1218 dur-ing the reign of James I), built onthe site of the earlier Gothic build-ing. A restored Gothic statue of theVirgin (1360-70) —Mare de Déu dela Mercè, the patroness of Bar-celona— attributed to the sculptorand goldsmith Pere Moragues, isvenerated here.

Carrer de Montcada. Street in theold district of La Vilanova de la Mar,built in the 12th C. when a memberof the noble Montcada family ob-tained building permission. Itsstraightness contrasts with the restof the district. In the 14th-15th C.powerful noble families built impor-tant mansions there, some of whichhave been converted into muse-ums. Most of them display thestructure of Catalan civil Gothic ar-chitecture: façade with a largeporch with voussoirs, windows withmullions, tower or mirador, and in-ner courtyard with stairs to themain floor, which often has galleries

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Interior of the Cathedral

Cathedral: detail of the altarpiece of the Transfiguration, by Bernat Martorell Carrer de Montcada: Palau Aguilar (Museu Picasso)

Cathedral: chair, known as Cadira del Rei Martí

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of archways. Paintings (1280) in lin-ear Gothic style showing the con-quest of Majorca, now in theMNAC, come from the handsome15th C. Palau Aguilar. This mansion,with the adjoining Palau del Baróde Castellet (15th C.), now houses asignificant part of the MuseuPicasso. The Palau dels Marquesosde Llió (13-14th C., altered) was thehome of the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indu-mentària. Inside the Palau Dalma-ses, a masterpiece of Baroque ar-chitecture (17th C.), is a 15th C.Gothic chapel with vaulting deco-rated with sculptures showing an-gels playing musical instruments.An important art gallery occupiesthe Palau dels Cervelló.

Montsió (Rambla de Catalunya,117). Parish church of the Eixampledistrict which, like the Concepció,came from a monastery in OldBarcelona. The former Santa Mariade Montsió, belonging to Dominicannuns, was transferred (1882-88)stone by stone since plans for reno-vating the Old City involved its de-

original façade overlooking theCarrer del Bisbe. The handsomesculptures on this side (1418), in-cluding the medallion of Sant Jordi,are youthful works by Pere Joan,who also designed the stairway tothe upper floor with its extraordi-narily graceful gallery of columns,and the chapel of Sant Jordi,whose façade is decorated by deli-cate flamboyant tracery (1427-34).In the chapel are remarkable or-naments and treasures, including a silver statuette of Sant Jordi(1420-30) and various 15th C. em-broidered cloths, notably the ante-pendium of Sant Jordi (c. 1450), byAntoni Sadurní. The Pati dels Taron-gers, a courtyard surrounded by anoriginal gallery with gargoyles, ispart of the Gothic-style enlarge-ments done in the 16th C. By theend of the same century, the Renais-sance style was adopted for theconstruction of the new wing facingonto the Plaça de Sant Jaume.

Palau Reial Major (Pl. del Rei).Palace of the Kings of Catalonia-

Aragon, built onto the Roman walls.The main surviving parts are thechapel and the great hall. BertranRiquer began work on the chapel ofSanta Àgata in 1302 on orders fromJames II. The structure is very sim-ple: single nave with polygonalapse and richly panelled woodenceiling on diaphragm arches. Theside chapels were built during thereign of Peter III the Ceremoniousand Martin I the Humane. Inside isthe altarpiece of El Conestable, oneof Jaume Huguet’s finest works(1464-65). It was commissionedduring the civil war against John IIby the High Constable Peter ofPortugal, who then occupied theCatalan throne and has been iden-tified as the beardless king in thecentre panel. The Saló del Tinell(1359), the great hall of the palace,was built by Peter III under the di-rection of Guillem Carbonell. Theking consulted astrologists to en-sure that the first stone was laid ona propitious date. Important cele-brations and ceremonies have tak-en place in this spacious room,

whose ceiling is supported by sixdiaphragm arches. Fragments oflate 13th C. linear Gothic paintings,showing episodes from the con-quest of Majorca by James I, havebeen preserved. The great tower,mistakenly called Mirador del ReiMartí, was built in the 16th C. In the Plaça del Rei are: CasaPadellàs, late Gothic with later al-terations, home of the Museud’Història de la Ciutat, and Palaudel Lloctinent (16th C.), whichhoused the Arxiu de la Coronad’Aragó for many years. Across thePlaceta de Sant Iu and through the

quiet and pleasant former palacegardens is the entrance to theMuseu Marès, a rich collection ofmedieval exhibits occupying for-mer Palace outhouses.

Pedralbes (Pl. del Monestir). SantaMaria de Pedralbes, monastery ofnuns of the order of Saint Clare,founded in 1326 by QueenElisenda de Montcada, the thirdwife of James II, where religious lifestill continues. The church, clois-ters and outhouses, which werebuilt in quick succession, presentgreat unity of style and constituteone of the best examples ofCatalan Gothic architecture at itspeak, in the reign of James II. Thechurch is simple in style, having asingle nave, chapels between thebuttresses and a polygonal chevet.Queen Elisenda of Montcada re-tired to the monastery on the deathof her husband and in the chancel,to the right of the high altar, is hermagnificently carved tomb with arecumbent figure dressed in regalrobes. On the other, almost identi-cal side of the tomb, located in thecloister, she is clothed in her nun’shabit. The columns and capitals ofthe first two storeys of arches inthe impressive cloister were madein specialized workshops in Gi-rona. The separate chapter housewas built in 1416 by Guillem Abiell.Also opening onto the cloister isthe small, but extremely elegantand beautiful Chapel of SantMiquel, a cell or oratory, decoratedwith Italian style paintings (1343-46)by Ferrer Bassa. The monastery is surrounded by walls. Open to the public to temporarily show-case part of the Thyssen-Bor-nemisza collection (now at theMNAC), the entire monastery isnow a museum.

El Pi (Pl. del Pi). One of the oldestparish churches in Barcelona, alsocalled Santa Maria dels Reis,which, with its bell tower, cons-titutes one of the most characte-ristic sights in the Old City. The in-habitants of this bustling district

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molition. The church and cloister arefine examples of 14-15th C. Gothicarchitecture. Religious life continueduntil 1947, when the communitymoved to Esplugues de Llobregat,taking the cloister with them, andthe church became a parish church.

Palau de la Generalitat (Pl. deSant Jaume). Group of buildingsthat form the seat of Catalonia’sforemost political institution: theGeneralitat or autonomous govern-ment. One of the finest examples ofCatalan civil Gothic architecturewith interesting Renaissance fea-tures. Begun in the early 15th C.,when the permanent delegation ofmembers of parliament, known asthe Diputació del General orGeneralitat, had become a perma-nent institution requiring premisesof its own. The early stages of thebuilding were directed by the archi-tect Marc Safont, who designed the

Palau Reial Major: Saló del Tinell

Drassanes: Museu Marítim

Palau de la Generalitat: Sant Jordi by Pere Joan

Palau de la Generalitat: gallery of columns

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—mostly tradesmen— undertookthe building of a new church, withroyal protection, around 1305, at atime of prosperity and of urban re-newal. Building was completed in1391. The single nave has chapelsbetween the buttresses and themagnificent adjoining bell tower(late 14th C.) is eight-sided. Thelarge rose window in the façade issimilar to that at Sant Cugat, whilethe doorway resembles that of SantIu in the Cathedral. An altarpiece(1455) by Jaume Huguet, presentlyin the MNAC, comes from the Re-venedors chapel. It was commis-sioned by the guild of revenedors(retail grocers) who had premiseson the square.

Pia Almoina (Pla de la Seu). 15th

C. alms house, the Pia Almoina,where food was handed out daily tothe poor of Barcelona. Altarpiecenow in the MNAC, Sant Sebastià(1417-18) by Joan Mates, camefrom here. It is now the home of theMuseu Diocesà de Barcelona.

Sant Jeroni de la Murtra (Camí deSant Jeroni, Badalona). FormerHieronymite monastery in a seclud-ed valley at the foot of a hill in thecity of Badalona. Founded in 1416it enjoyed royal protection, espe-cially from John II and Ferdinand II.The Emperor Charles V and KingPhilip II of Spain stayed there. Afterthe secularization of religious or-ders in 1835, it was abandoned andfell into ruins. The handsome lateGothic cloister with its great myrtlestill stand (around 1475 masterJaume Alfonso was working on it).It has thick pillars alternating withfine stone columns from Girona,beautifully sculpted keystones andbrackets, and a Gothic-type foun-tain (1573) in the middle. The ruinedchurch was Gothic in structure withRenaissance features.

Sant Just (Pl. de Sant Just).Church built mostly in 1342-60 onthe site of an earlier one. BernatRoca, who also worked on theCathedral, was involved in the

building. Single nave, polygonalapse and chapels between the but-tresses in characteristic CatalanGothic style. Altar dedicated toSant Feliu, which retained the oldprivilege of ‘testament sacramen-tal’ (a form of testament restrictedto citizens of Barcelona). In the sur-rounding district of Sant Just, for-merly inhabited by nobles andcraftsmen, is a Gothic fountain builtby the Fiveller family in 1367 andthe Palau de la Comtessa dePalamós (now the Acadèmia deBones Lletres), fine courtyard with13th and 14th C. features.

Santa Anna (C/ de Santa Anna).Church belonging to the formermonastery of the military order ofthe Holy Sepulchre, later a colle-giate church, at the edge of thearea enclosed by the old city walls.Strangely secluded despite its lo-cation in the hub of the city, closeto the Plaça de Catalunya. Builtmostly in the 13th C. at the time ofthe transition from Romanesque toGothic, though the oldest part

dates back to the 12th C. The porchand cloister (14-15th C.) are fullyGothic, as are the chapter houseand various chapels.

Santa Maria del Mar (Pl. de SantaMaria). Church of La Ribera dis-trict. One of the masterpieces ofCatalan Gothic architecture on ac-count of the harmonious blendingof the whole structure and thebeauty and balance of the propor-tions which give an impression ofsimplicity. Formerly the centre ofthe bustling district of La Vilanovade la Mar, outside the city walls butclose to the harbour, where dockworkers and porters lived along-side the merchants and nobles ofthe Carrer de Montcada, andcraftsmen whose various callingsare reflected in the names of thestreets. The nearby Plaça del Bornwas used for festivals, tourna-ments and fairs. It was the localresidents who decided to build anew church to replace the old one.Two architects —Berenguer deMontagut and Ramon Despuig—were entrusted with the job, whichtook from 1329 to 1383, when thelast vault was completed. Thechurch has three aisles, an ambu-latory and chapels between thebuttresses. Outstanding features ofthe exterior are the polygonal apseand the main façade with its finedoorway and two octagonal tow-ers. The great rose window was re-made after an earthquake in 1428but significant remains of theGothic glass have survived. The in-side owes its look of airy spacious-ness to the extraordinary slender-ness of the octagonal pillars and tothe carefully calculated proportions(the width of the nave is doublethat of the side aisles, the height ofthe latter is the same as the overallwidth of the church, and so on). Itwas restored after the Civil War(1936-39) and the bareness of thearchitecture highlights the un-equalled compactness and sim-plicity of the forms and volumes.Inside is the tombstone of the HighConstable Peter of Portugal.

Santa Maria del Mar: interior of the basilica Santa Anna: cloister

Church of La Mercè: the Virgin of La Mercè

Monastery of Pedralbes: paintings by Ferrer Bassa

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on the opposite bank of the Ter, almost hidden amid leafy vegetation. Stillfurther north is the imposing Romanesque monastery of Ripoll with itsequally remarkable Gothic cloister galleries. From Ripoll, two side trips canbe made. The first, in a north-easterly direction, takes us to the nearbymonastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses with its exceptionally fine cloisterand handsome altarpieces. Amid the lush greens of the Pyrenean landscape,we reach Camprodon, where we can admire the picturesque Pont Nou,other Gothic works and charming Modernist chalets. A pleasant excursioncan be made to the secluded village of Beget to see the 14th C. altarpiece inthe outstandingly beautiful Romanesque church and listen to the rush ofwater amid a setting of gulleys, ledges and small bridges.

The second side trip from Ripoll goes up the Freser valley along the N-152 and over the high Toses pass, which affords spectacular views over thefertile Cerdanya plain, surrounded by peaks which are often snow-capped. At the summer holiday resort of Alp there is a noteworthy Gothicmural painting in the church. Puigcerdà, the capital of Cerdanya, lyingin the midst of the plain, possesses a Gothic church (Sant Domènec) withan eight-sided bell tower. Visitors can also make a pleasant trip across thelake or climb up to the Mirador to enjoy the view over the Segre river,which flows through fields before disappearing in the distant ‘Forat de laSeu’.

At Llívia, near Puigcerdà, there are other remarkable Gothic buildings.Further west, we make a stop at the parish church of Bellver de Cerdanya.Our next destination is La Seu d’Urgell, a city with several Gothic worksand an entrancing medieval atmosphere which, once a week, particularlyin the Carrer Major, is broken by the multicoloured bustle of market day.From La Seu we can travel westwards to see the church of Santa Maria andother interesting Gothic features at Castellbò.

From Ripoll, we take the C-17 back towards Barcelona. A right turn atSant Quirze de Besora brings us to the little village of Lluçà where themonastery, a gem of Romanesque architecture, contains remarkable Gothicpaintings. Our route continues via Prats de Lluçanès and Avinyó beforeturning eastwards. On the road that winds down from the plateaus ofMoià and Collsuspina, the Romanesque monastery of L’Estany, with itsfine Gothic tombs, is a good place to stop. Beyond Centelles we reach SantMartí de Centelles, overshadowed by the ruins of its ancient castle whichstands on top of a huge rock and commands a fine view.

A quiet, winding road takes us to Sant Feliu de Codines, lying on top ofan open ridge. Further east, at L’Ametlla del Vallès, is the interestingmanor of Mas Draper, while a group of buildings known as La Doma,containing certain Gothic features, stands alongside the main road near LaGarriga. At this point we find ourselves once again in the colourful Medi-terranean coastal region, with its bustling atmosphere and radiant skies.Beyond Les Franqueses del Vallès, amid fields dotted here and there withclusters of umbrella pines, are several masies (farmhouses) with mullionedwindows. Before heading back to Barcelona, we round off our trip by a vis-it to Sant Pere de Vilamajor, slightly to the east, which has some Gothicfeatures, and to Can Bordoi, at Llinars del Vallès, where Gothic remainsfrom the excavations at Castellvell can be admired.

This is the lon-gest of our suggest-ed tours, taking usfrom Barcelonaand the coastal re-gion of Maresme asfar as Cerdanyaand Urgellet, inthe heart of thePyrenees. Becauseit is so long, partsof the route consistof optional sidetrips which, how-ever, are highlyrecommended.

After drivingthrough the attrac-

tive resort of the sunny and colourful Maresme coastline, we come to theTordera river. On top of the nearby range of hills, like a ship surveying thelush vegetation of the plain, stand the imposing ruins of Palafolls castle.On the eastern side of the plain is the tourist resort of Blanes, where re-markable Gothic buildings are located. We continue eastwards along one ofthe most beautiful stretches of the Costa Brava, past Lloret de Mar and theentrancing coves of Sant Francesc and Santa Cristina, till we reach pic-turesque Tossa de Mar, with its old quarter, encircled by towers and walls,overlooking the infinite blue of the Mediterranean.

From Blanes we turn inland up the Tordera river to Hostalric, whichstraggles along a ridge, surrounded by towers and fortifications, as thoughkeeping watch over the precoastal valley. More Gothic works can be ad-mired a little further on in Breda, where traditional pottery is made.Beyond the nearby pass of N’Orri, the road climbs towards the desolatehilltop ruins of Montsoriu castle. The last part of the ascent must be madeon foot, but both castle and panorama are sufficiently attractive to warrantthe effort.

We head for Arbúcies and then follow the twisting but scenic road alongthe tree-clad foothills of the Montseny (called poetically the ‘amethystmountain’) to Viladrau. Our next stop is the fine Gothic manor at Mont-rodon on the road to Taradell in the borough of Tona. A little way northlies Vic, the capital of Osona, which possesses an important Gothic her-itage, most of it in the Museu Episcopal. Vic also enjoys an active culturallife and is known for the mysterious atmosphere created by the mists whichoften shroud it in winter.

In the north-eastern corner of the Plana de Vic, high on the Collsacabraplateau, is the village of Tavertet, where a fine Gothic statue can he ad-mired. The road to Tavertet, via Roda de Ter and Santa Maria de Corcó,goes through attractive scenery and Tavertet itself commands a fine viewover the blue waters of the Sau reservoir and Les Guilleries hills.

Proceeding north from Vic along the C-17, we reach Montesquiu castle,

Main historicbuildingsAlp. Residential village in Cer-danya, now known primarily on ac-count of the nearby ski resorts ofLa Molina and Masella. In theparish church there is a fresco(1300) of Saint Christopher.

L’Ametlla del Vallès. Residentialtown with houses and secondhomes in Modernist and more con-temporary styles. Mas Draper wasone of the most important manorsin the region, as is apparent from itsarchitectural structure (though builtmostly in the 16th C., it is still in theGothic tradition) and from the ad-joining tower.

Beget. Small Pyrenean village witha very beautiful Romanesque churchcontaining a famous Romanesquesculpture known as the Majestat deBeget. Below the sculpture is asmall 14th C. Gothic alabaster altar-piece made in Sant Joan de lesAbadesses which was originallysurmounted by the seated Virginnow located elsewhere in thechurch. Also worthy of note is thecollection of Baroque altarpieces.

Bellver de Cerdanya. Village inCerdanya, on the banks of theSegre, now a residential and touristresort. Unpretentious parish churchin the Catalan Gothic tradition.Parts of the 13-14th C. walls stillstand.

Blanes. Attractive coastal resort atthe southern tip of the Costa Bravawith a small fishing port and mari-na. Around 1400 the great architectArnau Bargués was working on thepalace of the Cabrera family inBlanes, while simultaneously en-gaged in building the Palau del ReiMartí at the monastery of Pobletand Barcelona Cathedral. Somewalls belonging to the palace havebeen preserved, as has the adjoin-ing church, now a parish church.Another characteristic feature is theGothic fountain, one of the bestpreserved in Catalonia.

Breda. Small agricultural and in-dustrial town on the eastern slopesof the Montseny, especially knownfor its pottery. Several remarkablebuildings cluster around the formerBenedictine monastery of SantSalvador de Breda. Work on theGothic church (now the parishchurch) began at the beginning of

From Maresme to the Pyrenees via Selva, Vallès and Osona

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

Bellver de Cerdanya

Tossa de Mar

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the 14th C. (before 1337) but thefaçade is 16th C. Of note are severalGothic tombs, the 13th C. wing ofthe cloister, the interesting court-yard in the abbot’s house and themagnificent Lombard Romanesquebell tower, 32 m. high.

Camprodon. Village near thePyrenees in a valley at the source ofthe Ter. Several important medievalbuildings and residential area withModernist houses. In the Vila deDalt, Romanesque church of themonastery of Sant Pere and 14th C.Gothic church of Santa Maria. Theformer Convent church of El Carmeis from the same period. Interestingmansions with Gothic elements,such as the town hall (CasaConsistorial) and Can Ribes. Themost characteristic feature is thebridge across the Ter (Pont Nou)which was rebuilt in the 14th C. Ithas a large central arch and keep,and is joined to the Cerdanya Gatein the old walls.

Castellbò. Pyrenean village nearLa Seu d’Urgell. In the MiddleAges, seat of the Viscounts ofCastellbò, who ruled over a largearea. Noteworthy collegiate churchof Santa Maria in RomanesqueGothic transition style. Ancientmanor houses, including Cal Gra-

munt, which housed the Viscount’streasury and notary, and other pic-turesque spots. Now part of theborough of Montferrer i Castellbò.

L’Estany. Former monastery ofcanons of which the church and a remarkable Romanesque clois-ter remain. Also several Gothictombs, among them that of theabbot Berenguer de Riudeperes(1316-29) who was responsible forthe construction of severalmonastery outbuildings. GracefulGothic alabaster statue of theVirgin (Mare de Déu de l’Estany,14th C.). Some parts of the cloisterwere built in the Gothic period,though they blend well into theoverall Romanesque style.

Les Franqueses del Vallès.Former agricultural town which hasundergone great changes owing tothe proximity of Granollers. In thesurrounding area are interestingmasos (manor farmhouses) withcharacteristic mullioned windows(Torre de la Seva at Marata and CanMàrgens at Llerona) which are a re-minder of the prosperity the areaenjoyed in the late Middle Ages.

La Garriga. Long established spatown with hot springs at the foot ofthe Montseny range. Near the main

road is an attractive group of build-ings known as La Doma. Thechurch, a blend of Romanesqueand late Gothic (16th C.), contains alate 15th C. altarpiece dedicated toSaint Stephen. There are also re-mains of Roman villas, a Ro-manesque church (Santa Maria delCamí) and fine examples ofModernist architecture.

Hostalric. Town built on a spectac-ularly steep slope of basalt rockabove the Tordera river on the oldRoman road which was the tradi-tional route to France. Much of thewalls, which were built to protectthe strategic site, still stand. Seat ofthe former important dynasty ofViscounts of Cabrera. The wallsand eight round towers date mostlyfrom around 1400. At one endstands the large castle which wasfortified in the 18th C. in the style ofVauban.

Llinars del Vallès. The castleknown as Castellvell or Castell delFar, once the seat of an importantbarony, was much altered in the14th C. and destroyed in an earth-quake in 1428. However the sitehas recently been excavated andmay be visited. Interesting potteryplates and utensils from the castleare on show in the small museum

at Can Bordoi, a handsome manorhouse in noucentista style. Theoriginal castle was replaced by alarge Renaissance palace knownas the Castellnou (1558).

Llívia. Pyrenean village, enclave ofSpanish territory in France sincethe Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659).Founded by the Romans, it was thefirst capital of Cerdanya until re-placed by Puigcerdà. Several inter-esting medieval buildings. Of spe-cial note in the old quarter are a 15th C. cylindrical tower (Torre deBernat de So) and the parishchurch which, though built in the16th C. century, is Gothic in style.The museum houses the famousFarmàcia de Llívia, with apothe-cary’s jars and implements, as wellas a 13th C. figure of Christ.

Lluçà. Former monastery ofcanons of which a fine church andRomanesque cloister remain. Itcontains items of Gothic architec-ture and sculpture. Also a collec-tion of wall paintings (now pre-served on canvas), notably a figureof Christ in majesty, correspondingto the last phase in the develop-ment of linear Gothic style, onwhich the coat of arms of PonçSaserra, who was the prior whenthe paintings were done (1352-71),can be seen.

Montesquiu. Small village in the Tervalley dominated by Montesquiucastle, the residence of the lords ofBesora, a large Gothic fortress withmullioned windows and crenellatedwalls which has been much re-stored in recent years.

Mont-rodon. Old manor house be-longing to the borough of Tona butlocated in an enclave in the bor-ough of Taradell. Partly Roma-nesque but entirely renovated atthe beginning of the 15th C. Mainfeatures of the massive building arethe large windows divided by tallmullions. In the chapel is a Gothicstatue of the Virgin and a sarcopha-

gus (1338) of the Mont-rodon dy-nasty who played an outstandingrole as churchmen and knights inCatalan history.

Montsoriu. Old fortress perchedhigh on a hill overlooking the valleyof Arbúcies (to which borough itbelongs) at the foot of the Mont-seny. Montsoriu castle was theproperty of the important dynastyof the Viscounts of Cabrera. At theend of the 13th C. the chroniclerBernat Desclot described it as oneof the most beautiful and noblecastles in the world. The ruins arecertainly imposing. The three wal-led precincts and remains of 13th

and 14th C. outbuildings with di-aphragm arches supporting theroofs can still be seen.

Palafolls. Castle, again belongingto the Cabrera family, built on highground near the coast on the bor-der between Selva and Maresme.The impressive ruins (13-15th C.) ofthe three enclosures, towers andwalls, are visible from the N-II road.

Puigcerdà. Capital of Cerdanya ly-ing in the midst of the sunny valleyof the Segre. Important town sincethe Middle Ages, currently a resi-dential and tourist resort. The late13th C. former Convent church ofSant Domènec is the most impor-tant Gothic building. The structureof the façade, based on arcades,corresponds to a model which laterbecame quite widespread in Ca-talonia. The roof over the nave restson a wooden framework supportedby diaphragm arches. In one of theside chapels is a set of wall paint-ings (2nd quarter of the 14th C.) inthe linear Gothic style that is verycommon in the region. They repre-sent the Tree of Life and episodesfrom the life of Saint Peter theMartyr. The bell tower, the sole re-maining feature of the old churchwhich was demolished, has thecharacteristic eight-sided structureof major Catalan Gothic bell tow-ers, though the crown is Baroque.

LlíviaBlanes

Beget

Camprodon

Puigcerdà: detail of wall paintings, convent church of Sant Domènec

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Ripoll. Town known mainly for itsformer Benedictine monastery, amasterpiece of Catalan Roma-nesque architecture with a fa-mous doorway and cloister. Themonastery played an importantpart in the resettlement of OldCatalonia. The sculptor Jordi deDéu was involved in building theeast, south and west galleries ofthe lower cloister, which date fromthe Gothic period (1390), thoughthey blend harmoniously into theRomanesque whole. Around thecloister are keystones, fragmentsof altarpieces and other 14-15th C.works.

Sant Joan de les Abadesses.Town which grew up around theformer Benedictine monastery ofSant Joan, later taken over byAugustinian canons, an importantwork of Catalan Romanesque ar-chitecture with remarkable apseswhich contains the famous groupof sculptures, the SantíssimMisteri. New buildings were addedafter the earthquakes in 1428, no-tably the simple but elegant clois-ter, begun in 1442. Fine Gothicsculptures by a group of mid-14th

C. specialists in alabaster havebeen preserved including the altar-piece of Santa Maria la Blanca(1343), that of Sant Agustí and thetomb of Blessed Miró (1345). Thesmall adjacent museum containsGothic paintings and sculptures,as well as works in precious met-als, fabrics, and an important col-lection of embroidery. The nearbyabbot’s palace has a small 15th C.cloister. The bridge over the Ter isa careful reconstruction of the oldGothic bridge.

Sant Martí de Centelles. Smallcountry town overshadowed by theCentelles castle, which belonged toan important Catalan noble family.Stretches of crenellated walls, theRomanesque chapel and otherparts of both levels of the buildingstill stand. It was mostly builtaround 1466, during the civil war

against John II, as a residence forthe High Constable Peter ofPortugal, though he never livedthere.

Sant Pere de Vilamajor. Countryvillage at the foot of the Montsenywhere a palace was built for theCounts of Barcelona during thehigh Middle Ages. Nowadays onlya fine isolated Romanesque belltower remains. The 16th C. parishchurch is among the most repre-sentative examples of a type of ar-chitecture which is very wide-spread in the Vallès Oriental andMaresme area: late Gothic build-ings with ribbed vaulting whosemain attraction is their great sim-plicity.

La Seu d’Urgell. Small Cathedralcity in the Pyrenees, capital of AltUrgell, lying in the Segre valley.Seat of a diocese from ancienttimes. Until the 11th C. it was alsothe seat of the earldom of Urgellwhich originally had its centre inthe nearby fortified village ofCastellciutat. The present towngrew up around the magnificentRomanesque Cathedral. In someof the streets in the old quarter,such as the Carrer Major andCarrer dels Canonges, which werebuilt up in the 13-14th C., there areold mansions with large Gothicwindows and beautiful arches.Also in the old town is the early15th C. Gothic church of SantDomingo and next to it theDominican Convent which is nowa ‘parador’. A chapel adjoining theCathedral houses the rich me-dieval collections of the interestingMuseu Diocesà d’Urgell.

Tavertet. Picturesque village ontop of a spectacular cliff overlook-ing the Ter valley and the Saureservoir. Its old stone houses andtraditional character have beenpreserved. In the Romanesqueparish church is a lovely 15th C. al-abaster statue of a seated Virginwith Child in the same style as that

of the main altarpiece in Vic Ca-thedral.Tossa de Mar. Attractive coastaltown on the southern Costa Bravawhere modern tourist develop-ments stand alongside interestingremains from the past. The 14th C.walls with their towers constitutethe most characteristic feature.Inside the walls is the once pros-perous old town (Vila Vella) whosecharm is still apparent. Remains ofthe early 15th C. parish church.Former Governor’s Palace (15th C.Gothic) housing an interesting mu-seum with finds from excavations

at a nearby Roman villa and a goodcollection of contemporary paint-ings by artists associated withTossa de Mar (Chagall, Benet,Sunyer).

Vic. Cathedral city with a richartistic heritage and interestinghistoric monuments which is alsoan active centre for trade with amarket drawing customers from avery wide area. 14th C. additions tothe old Romanesque Cathedral (ofwhich the crypt and bell tower re-main) include the handsome clois-ter, begun around 1320 under thedirection of Ramon Despuig andfinished at the end of the century.Prime features are the eleganttracery of the arcades and theoutside gallery. It was altered atthe beginning of the 19th C. whenthe present Cathedral was built.Noteworthy are the great Gothicgrille (1427) by Joan Puig whichstood before the high altar of theold Cathedral and the exceptionalaltarpiece (1420-26), surmounted

by the figures of the Virgin and

Saint Peter, which is the master-

piece of the sculptor from Girona

Pere Oller. In front of the altar-

piece is the tomb (again by Oller)

of canon Bernat Despujol (c.

1434) who commissioned the al-

tarpiece.

Some of the houses on the market

square (Plaça del Mercadal), with

its attractive archways, have fea-

tures of Gothic inspiration. The

Casa Consistorial, which retains

part of the 14-15th C. structure, is of

particular note. The Hospital de laSanta Creu contains several 16th C.

Gothic rooms. Significant parts of

the walls, built in the times of Peter

III the Ceremonious, have been

preserved, as have some of the

bridges into the city, the Pont d’enBruguer being the most remark-

able. A visit to the Museu Epis-copal, which houses magnificent

Romanesque and Gothic collec-

tions, is a must.

La Seu d’Urgell: Museu Diocesà, altarpiece of Abella de la Conca Sant Joan de les Abadesses: cloister

Vic: pottery. MEV

Vic: cloister of the Cathedral

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This route takesus from Barcelonato the Pyreneanfoothills, offering awide variety ofGothic and otherbuildings andworks of art, aswell as a range ofattractive scenery.

We leave Bar-celona by L’Arra-bassada road, en-joying the splendidviews over the city.We drive throughpine woods to SantCugat del Vallès

where the beauty of Gothic art is especially evident in the great rose windowin the monastery façade. The road to El Papiol and its medieval castle com-mands wide views over the Llobregat valley. Further up the river we cometo Martorell, to admire the legendary Pont del Diable and the interestingmuseums of ceramics. Our route continues through hilly country toTerrassa, where the Gothic charterhouse of Vallparadís and the exception-ally fine altar pieces in the Visigothic-Romanesque churches leave a lastingimpression.

We take the C-16 as far as the Gothic bridge and castle at Castellbell i elVilar. Prior to this, however, a detour can be made via Monistrol to thegreat Benedictine monastery of Montserrat, with its black Virgin, whichstands on flat ground against a background of spectacular rock pinnaclesand contains many fine works of art including several in Gothic style.

Returning to the Llobregat valley, we proceed through Sant Vicenç deCastellet to the medieval bridge at El Pont de Vilomara, and to nearbyRocafort, where there are fine Gothic tombs in the parish church. A moun-tain track takes us to the quaint village of Mura. There we join the road toTalamanca, where there is another Gothic tomb and a castle that has un-dergone some rather imaginative restoration. The Romanesque monasteryof Sant Benet de Bages, on the road to Manresa, has some Gothic features,while the most outstanding of several Gothic buildings in Manresa, thecapital of Bages, is the church of La Seu, one of the most representative cre-ations of Catalan Gothic architecture.

Slightly to the north is the Gothic church of Sant Pere at Santpedor. Aswe continue up the Llobregat valley, the silhouette of Balsareny, with itsrectangular crenellated castle, is visible from afar. A popular race of carri-ers takes place once a year on the slope up to the castle. We leave theLlobregat and continue westwards to the mining town of Súria in thenearby Cardener valley. Here the quaint medieval quarter clustering onthe hilltop around its partly Gothic castle, is concealed from the road byrows of houses.

As we drive up the Cardener, the forbidding outline of Cardona castlesuddenly rises before us. Within the castle precincts, Romanesque is thedominant style, but the town possesses several noteworthy Gothic buildings,foremost among them the handsome parish church of Sant Miquel. Anyoneinterested in folklore should visit Cardona in September to enjoy the livelyatmosphere in the town square during the annual festival which featuresthe correbou (bull chase) and the cargolera (snail festival).

We continue along the very good C-55 road through pinewoods to theSolsonès plateau. The capital, Solsona, has considerable character and at-mosphere, the main attractions being the Gothic Cathedral and PalauEpiscopal, while the hilltop village of Castellvell adds a picturesque note tothe landscape.

Those with a little time to spare will find it worthwhile to travel north toSant Llorenç de Morunys, not merely because of the important Gothic al-tarpieces in the parish church and the chapel of La Pietat, but to enjoy thecharm of the town itself, set amid mountainous scenery, and the fine viewsfrom the road.

From Solsona we turn southwards again along the road to Torà. We drivethrough Castellfollit de Riubegrós to Calaf, in Segarra, where the lofty belltower of the Gothic church looks out over the handsome, irregular shapedsquare with archways. A left turn beyond Copons, on the road to Igualada,will take us to Rubió to admire an exceptionally fine 14th C. altarpiece.

From Jorba we can cut across to Sant Martí de Tous to see the Gothiccross and the recumbent figure on the tomb of the noble Bernat. We thencontinue down the Anoia river, beyond Igualada, to La Pobla de Clara-munt, the starting point for a trip down the charming Carme valley to thehamlet of Santa Càndia where, high on the slope opposite the exquisite lit-tle Gothic church of the same name, stands what was originally Orpí castleand is now the village centre.

From La Pobla we go on to Capellades, where we turn towards Vila-franca del Penedès. Both landscapes and architecture now take on a moreMediterranean look. At Sant Pere de Riudebitlles we admire the out-standing Gothic palace of Llo before leaving the Vilafranca road in the di-rection of Guardiola de Font-rubí and Cal Miret. This brings us to SantMartí Sarroca, where there is a parish church with an exceptionally fineRomanesque apse and a splendid Gothic altarpiece inside, as well as aneighbouring castle with Gothic features.

Vilafranca del Penedès, the capital of Alt Penedès, has several hand-some Gothic buildings and the museum contains Gothic exhibits. Theoriginal Museu del Vi reminds us that Penedès is an important wine-growing area. Justly famous pastries are also made in the town. A possibleside-trip from Vilafranca takes us eastwards, via Avinyonet, to Olesa deBonesvalls, where the remarkable Gothic Hospital de Cervelló standsclose to the road.

South-west of Vilafranca is the church of L’Arboç, which contains 14th

C. wall paintings, while not far away is the romantic-looking, partlyGothic fortress of Castellet, towering above the waters of the Foix reservoir.From here a twisting, scenic route takes us to Vilanova i la Geltrú, a livelytown on the coast with a tradition for good eating, to see the remarkableGothic castle of La Geltrú.

Vilanova, the capital of Garraf is just 8 km from the beautiful tourist re-sort of Sitges. Here, on the promontory, behind the parish church, are twomuseums housing rich and varied collections which include works inGothic style: Cau Ferrat and Maricel. The neat, sunny Mediterraneantown of Sitges is also a good place to forget for a while the pursuit of arttreasures and enjoy a stroll along the sea-front promenade and through thewhite-washed streets.

Returning to Barcelona the C-32 takes us to Gavà where we can visit theGothic shrine of Bruguers and Eramprunyà castle in a setting of red sand-stone, as well as Torre-roja and Torre del Baró at Viladecans. We driveamid factories and market gardens to Sant Boi de Llobregat where thereare works of Gothic art, before crossing the Llobregat and seeing Cornellàcastle, our last stop before completing the route.

Main historicbuildingsL’Arboç. During the Middle Agesthis village had the second largestpopulation in Penedès and it hasmaintained its cultural and eco-nomic vitality. The present 16th C.parish church contains elements ofthe previous Gothic building, suchas wall paintings in full linear Gothicstyle from the 1st half of the 14th C.depicting the Tree of Life and thelife of Saint John.

Balsareny. Town in Bages near theLlobregat. Above it to the north ris-es a solid, rectangular 14th C.castle, a well preserved and re-stored building which has alwaysbeen inhabited throughout the cen-turies. Prime features of the outsideare the handsome doorway, largeGothic windows and crenellatedwalls. The rooms are set at regularintervals around the courtyard,which has a gallery with archways.In a letter to the queen, John I re-lates how the lord of Balsareny cas-tle, Andreu de Peguera, servedsome excellent wines to him here.A carriers’ race (Festa delsTraginers) is held here every year.

Calaf. Town with a well known mar-ket held in the handsome squarewith archways. The parish church,with its single large nave and belltower, rises above the housetops.Though built in the 17th C. (it wasconsecrated in 1639) it clearly be-longs to the Gothic tradition withribbed vaulting inside and an out-side reminiscent of 14-15th C. build-ings.

Cardona. Town in Bages in theCardener valley near a large de-posit of salt (Muntanya de Sal)which has been mined sinceRoman times. Above the town, onthe summit of a sheer pine-coveredhill, stand the imposing castle, now‘parador’, and Sant Vicenç, a for-mer monastery of regular canons,which possesses one of the finestCatalan Romanesque churches.Beside the church is a small Gothiccloister belonging to the monasteryof which only the recently restoredarcades remain. The castle wasbuilt in various stages. Some of therooms inside, which have pointedarches supporting the ceilings,were part of a palace belonging tothe Cardona dynasty.

9

From Barcelona to Solsonès up the Llobregat valleyand back via the central plateaus

of Anoia and Penedès

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

Cardona

Manresa

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The town itself has preserved itsmedieval layout, as well as man-sions with Gothic features andstructures, and the walls with theirtowers and gates. The beautifulGothic parish church of SantMiquel (consecrated in 1398) hasa single nave and side chapels,and a remarkable doorway on oneside. Below the chancel is a spa-cious crypt in which an alabasterstatue of the Virgin (Mare de Déudel Patrocini), brought fromMarseille by the Counts ofCardona in 1423, is venerated. Aseries of 14th C. mural paintingspresently in the Museu de Solsonacame from here, as did several al-tarpieces (1403-10) by Pere Vall, apainter from Cardona, one ofwhich is in Solsona and the otherin the MNAC. Near the town is theunfinished 15th C. bridge over theCardener.

Castellbell. Town belonging tothe borough of Castellbell i el Vilar,located close to the Llobregat at

Castellfollit de Riubegrós. Townwhich grew up at the foot of a nowruined but still impressive fortress.The restored Romanesque prioryalso has Gothic additions. The re-markable altarpiece of Sant Pere iSant Andreu, related to the Italianstyle of Pere Serra and presently inthe MNAC, comes from here. Oneroom in the castle contains inter-esting early 14th C. graffiti.

Cornellà de Llobregat. Formercountry town which is now part ofgreater Barcelona. In the old centreis a Gothic castle (altered after the15th C.) with rooms opening onto asquare courtyard and towers at thecorners.

Gavà. Former agricultural townnear the Llobregat delta, now in-dustrialized. The ruins of Eram-prunyà castle, once the seat of animportant barony, rise up on themountainous side of the borough.Parts of the impressive walls ofboth precincts still stand. Below

Catalan Gothic architecture. The de-sign of the buttresses, which areopen on the inside, is particularlyoriginal and highlights the spacious-ness of the nave. Inside are severalremarkable works, notably PereSerra’s masterpiece, the altarpieceof L’Esperit Sant (1393). The predellaincludes a magnificent panel by LluísBorrassà depicting the Burial ofChrist. Another exceptional work isthe altarpiece of Sant Marc (1346) byArnau Bassa, which is characteristicof the Italian trend in Catalan Gothicpainting. In the Tresor de la Seu (col-lection of precious items) is a splen-did 14th C. antependium embroi-dered in Florence by Geri Lapi. Other buildings with Gothic fea-tures include the Convents of SantaClara and of Les Caputxines.Though much restored, the PontVell over the Cardener remains amagnificent example of a Gothicbridge. In the 14th C. much greenand purple patterned pottery wasproduced in Manresa and manyfine specimens can be admired inthe Museu Comarcal.

Martorell. The town of Martorell islocated at the intersection of sever-al highways which converged at therecently restored bridge (Pont delDiable), close to the modern motor-ways, which has certain Romanfeatures and a Gothic structure. Avisit to the museums provides abroad overview of the history ofCatalan, and indeed of Spanish,ceramics, including interesting

commendatory abbot when it wasbuilt (1476) and whose coat of armswith oak leaves appears in variousplaces. In the enclosed part of themonastery several Gothic tombshave been preserved. However thesculptures done by Pere Moragueswhile Jaume de Vivers was abbot (c.1375), notably a Via Crucis, havebeen lost. In the large library thereare several Gothic codices, amongthem the famous Llibre Vermell deMontserrat, which contains many in-teresting items including pieces ofvocal music with the correspondingchoreography. Works in preciousmetals and an important collectionof modern Catalan paintings are tobe found in the museum.

Olesa de Bonesvalls. In the smallhamlet of L’Hospital de Cervelló is aformer hospice for travellers andpilgrims, founded in 1262 by theCervelló family near the old roadfrom Barcelona to the Penedès re-gion. The layout is typical of mostrural hospices, with rooms set at

regular intervals round the court-yard and an adjacent chapel. Thebuildings, mostly 13-14th C., are ina good state of conservation.

Orpí. Small village in the Òdenavalley built round the old castle.Santa Càndia, the chief village inthe borough, has a beautiful late14th C. church where restorationwork has again brought to light allthe graceful simplicity of the archi-tecture. A statue of Santa Candiastands in the attractive side porch.

El Papiol. Small town near the Llo-bregat above which rises the silhou-ette of the old castle, a handsomerecently restored building with me-dieval features from the 10th C. on-wards. Inside are the 14th C. tombs ofseveral members of the Despapioldynasty. The rectory is also Gothic.

El Pont de Vilomara i Rocafort.Borough in Bages, near Llobregat,consisting of two villages: Rocafortis the older, while El Pont de

the foot of the Montserrat range.On top of a crag overlooking abend in the river stand the re-mains of the austere Gothiccastle, while below it is the char-acteristic hump-backed silhouetteof the five-arched bridge (PontVell) over the Llobregat, one of thebest preserved of several Gothicbridges in Bages (others at Man-resa, Sallent, Monistrol, El Pont deVilomara).

Castellet. Former feudal castle,documented from the 10th C.,perched high above the Foix reser-voir in the borough of Castellet i laGornal. Rebuilding was undertakenin 1925 in the light of the Romanticcriteria of 19th C. architecture butthe result is attractive. The impos-ing cylindrical towers are 12th C.while the square towers and barbi-can on the eastern side must beconsidered Gothic (14th C.).

the castle is the shrine of Mare deDéu de Bruguers which, thoughRomanesque, has Gothic additionsand where a 14th C. Gothic statue isvenerated.

Manresa. Capital of Bages, locatedin the heart of Catalonia, a town ofgreat economic and cultural vitalitysince the Middle Ages. The out-standing collegiate church of SantaMaria, known as ‘La Seu’ (theCathedral, though in fact it does notenjoy that status), stands on highground above the town, thus reveal-ing to great effect the purity of its ar-chitecture. It was begun around1322 under the supervision of themaster builder Berenguer deMontagut, who was also responsiblefor Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona,and by the end of the 14th C. it wasvirtually complete. The façade isneo-Gothic. La Seu is one of themost representative works of

Balsareny: castle Vilafranca del Penedès: Sant Francesc, detail of the altarpiece by Lluís Borrassà

Montserrat: Llibre Vermell

pieces of medieval pottery. TheMuseu de l’Enrajolada (or MuseuSantacana) also houses the re-mains of medieval buildings inBarcelona, demolished in the 19th

C., which were collected and pre-served by the founder.

Montserrat. Benedictine monastery,shrine of the Virgin Mary (Mare deDéu de Montserrat) which is the reli-gious heart of Catalonia and an im-portant centre of culture. The moun-tain on which it stands, with its dis-tinctive rock formations, hasbecome a symbol. The basilica isGothic in style, though built in the16th C. and much altered in the 19th

C., when the apse was added andthe façade remodelled. The galleriesof the old cloister are the most char-acteristically Gothic feature. Knownas the Julius II cloister on account ofthe future pope of that name,Cardinal della Rovere, who was the

Castellbell El Pont de Vilomara Martorell: Pont del Diable

Solsona. Interior of the Cathedral

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Vilomara grew up around the 14th C. Gothic bridge (‘pont’) withnine arches which was rebuilt in the17th C. following a flood. In Roca-fort parish church is the sarcopha-gus of Pere de Sitjar (1354) by Be-renguer Ferrer, with a recliningsculpture and fine relief work.

Rubió. Small hamlet, virtually unin-habited, clustering around the nowruined Rubió castle and the churchof Santa Maria, an interesting build-ing in spite of the simplicity of itsarchitecture. Inside is an importantlate 14th C. altarpiece bearing thecoat of arms of the Boixadors fami-ly which is attributed to the anony-mous ‘Rubió Master’, an importantfigure in the Italian trend of CatalanGothic painting. The predella is inthe MEV.

Sant Benet de Bages. Magnificentformer Benedictine abbey in theborough of Sant Fruitós de Bageswith an outstanding Romanesquechurch and cloister. New outbuild-ings were added in the 14-15th C.,notably the Palauet (the first ab-bot’s palace, later converted into aguest house) and the new chapterhouse. The fortifications of themonastery were built on ordersfrom Peter III the Ceremonious. Inthe cloister are numerous Gothictombs. The Caixa de Manresa hasrestored it and turned it into an artand cultural centre.

Sant Boi de Llobregat. Originallyan agricultural town, now industri-alized. The parish church containsa splendid painted panel by LluísDalmau, commissioned in 1448,which was the central part of an al-tarpiece dedicated to Sant Baldiri,the patron saint of the town. In theold quarter are several 15-16th C.mansions with Gothic-type featuresincluding Can Barraquer, where theCatalan patriot Rafael Casanovadied in 1743.

Sant Cugat del Vallès. FormerBenedictine abbey, one of the mostimportant in Catalonia, consistingof a large group of basicallyRomanesque buildings. However,when work on the church was re-sumed in the 2nd half of the 13th C.after a long interruption, it was fin-ished in Gothic style, the greatlantern being characteristic of so-called transition architecture, whilethere are pointed vaults over theaisles. The most significant featureis the façade which has a large rosewindow in the centre with stainedglass made in 1343. The structureis similar to that of the church of ElPi in Barcelona or TarragonaCathedral. There are Gothic tombsin the chapter house and a particu-larly charming altarpiece of Tots elsSants, by Pere Serra.

Sant Llorenç de Morunys. Smalltown in Solsonès set in beautifulscenery at the foot of the Port delComte mountains. The layout of thetown is largely medieval and parts ofthe surrounding walls with their

beautiful gates have been preserved.Inside the Romanesque parishchurch, which belonged originally toa Benedictine priory, are importantworks of art from later periods in-cluding the Gothic altarpiece ofL’Esperit Sant (c. 1400) by Pere Serraand another altarpiece (1450) byFrancesc Solives in the La Pietatchapel in which the donor, the mer-chant Joan Piquer, is portrayed.

Sant Martí de Tous. Village in Anoia,near Igualada dominated by a hugecastle, which has been recently re-stored and is surrounded by gar-dens, and by the parish church, in-side which is a sarcophagus with abeautiful reclining figure of Bernat deTous (c. 1335). In the square is aGothic monumental cross.

Sant Martí Sarroca. Agricultural vil-lage to the north of Vilafranca.Castle with Gothic features, muchrestored in modern times. Magnifi-cent Romanesque church —former-ly the castle church— restored byPuig i Cadafalch, which contains asplendid early 15th C. Gothic altar-piece by the painter Jaume Cabreradedicated to the Virgin.

Sant Pere de Riudebitlles. Smallagricultural and industrial town in thenorthern part of the wine-growing re-gion of Alt Penedès. Palace of theMarquis of Llo, splendid 14th C.Gothic manor house with a symmet-rical façade, an attractive doorwaywith voussoirs and two rows of mul-lioned windows. The old Romanes-

que church doorway has been pre-served.

Santpedor. Agricultural and tex-tile-manufacturing town. The wallsof the old quarter and the squarewith archways have been pre-served. Late Gothic church of SantPere, with a Romanesque façadeand later additions. Inside is an un-usual 14th C. alabaster statue ofSaint Michael.

Sitges. Tourist resort on the Garrafcoast. Active cultural centre espe-cially since the days of the ‘lumin-ist’ school of painters whenSantiago Rusiñol settled there(1891). Rusiñol built his home onthe site of a group of old fisher-men’s houses, using items fromSitges castle, which had been de-molished. Inside he installed hiscollection of wrought iron fromwhich the building takes its name,Cau Ferrat (‘iron lair’). It also con-tains a number of Gothic sculpturesand paintings, as well as ceramics,

some interesting furniture, and mo-dern Catalan paintings. Nearby arethe two buildings of the MuseuMaricel, built over the 14th C. Hos-pital de Sant Joan, which also com-prises features from various otherbuildings, including the staircasefrom Solivella castle. It houses thePérez Rosales collection containingworks such as the 14th C. alabasterfigure of the Virgin from Sant Miqueldel Fai, paintings by Ramon Des-torrents, Pere Serra and JaumeCabrera, and Gothic paintings fromAragon.

Solsona. Important town from me-dieval times. Bishopric since 1593,when the former church of themonastery of regular canons wasconverted into a Cathedral. Builtonto an earlier Romanesque church(of which the apse and bell tower re-main), it is basically Gothic withsome later additions. The singlenave with its polygonal apse wasbuilt between the 14th C. and 17th C.and, in keeping with southern Gothictradition, lets in little light. The adjoin-ing neoclassical Bishop’s Palace,which contains earlier Gothic fea-tures from the monastery of canons,houses the rich medieval collectionsof the Museu Diocesà. In the oldquarter, part of the 14th C. walls withtheir handsome gates, a number of15th C. fountains and some notewor-thy Gothic buildings such as the 15th C. Hospital d’en Llobera or CasaAguilar, with its large portico, havebeen preserved. The Castellvell deSolsona, with Gothic chapel androoms, rises above the city, in theborough of Olius.

Súria. Town in Bages, in theCardener valley, which has under-gone many changes since potashmines were discovered there in1912. The layout of the old quarterhas kept its medieval look. Thehouses cluster around the oldchurch and castle, inside which is aroom with Gothic arches.

Terrassa. Seat of the ancient bish-opric of Egara, founded in the 5th C.and restored in 2003. Three very in-teresting Visigothic-Romanesquechurches, mainly 12th C. but withcertain 6-7th C. features. Inside thechurch of Santa Maria are two mas-terpieces of Catalan Gothic paint-ing originally done for the church ofSant Pere —the altarpieces of SantPere (1411) by Lluís Borrassà andof Sants Abdó i Senén (1460) byJaume Huguet— as well as themid-15th C. altarpiece of Sant

Miquel by Jaume Cirera andGuillem Talarn and fragments ofmural paintings (c. 1300) in theapse. Nearby is the old castle andcharterhouse of Vallparadís (Gothicwith earlier features) which nowhouses a section of the Museu deTerrassa. The recently restoredchurch, cloister and chapter housedate back to the time when theCarthusians moved there, in 1344.

Viladecans. Agricultural town, nowan industrial city, which has drawnmany residents from other parts of Spain. In the old quarter is the14-15th C. Torre del Baró, a largefortified Gothic mansion now muchrestored. On the outskirts is themanor house of Torre-roja, a smallcastle with a central porticoedcourtyard and an attractive four-storey bell tower with Gothic win-dows, also much restored.

Vilafranca del Penedès. Capital ofthe rich wine-growing comarca ofAlt Penedès. Important town sincethe Middle Ages. Gothic basilica ofSanta Maria with a single nave,polygonal apse and chapels be-tween the buttresses. Building be-gan in 1285 and it was consecratedin 1484. Modern neo-Gothic addi-tions include the finishing touchesto the façade. Opposite is the PalauReial, where King Peter II the Greatdied in the same year in which workbegan on Santa Maria. The Palace,an austere building from the firstperiod of Catalan Gothic architec-ture, houses the art collections ofthe Museu de Vilafranca, which in-clude several Gothic exhibits, aswell as the Museu del Vi (wine mu-seum). In the former Convent ofSant Francesc is the collection ofstone sculptures including severalfine tombs, notably those ofBertran de Castellet, Hug deCervelló and other nobles. TheCatalan parliament (Corts Generalsde Catalunya, 14th C.) met in theConvent in 1359 and 1367. It alsocontains an altarpiece dedicated tothe Virgin and Saint George by LluísBorrassà (c. 1400). The 14th C.church of Sant Joan is in the verysober style of the Order ofHospitallers who built it.

Vilanova i la Geltrú. Coastal town,capital of Garraf, formed by themerger of the two formerly inde-pendent towns which give it itsname. The old castle of La Geltrú,restored at the beginning of the 20th C., is a solid Gothic buildingwith a spacious central courtyard.

Sant Martí de Tous Sitges: Cau Ferrat

Sant Cugat del Vallès: monastery

Terrassa: Santa Maria, detail of the altarpiece by Jaume Huguet

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Aloi de Montbrai (14th C.). Frenchsculptor (from Montbray, Manche),known as master Aloi, active inCatalonia and Valencia, documented1336-82. Carried out royal commis-sions, including the tombs at Poblet(with Jaume Cascalls) and gallery ofportraits of members of the House ofBarcelona for the Palau Reial Major(lost). His best works are in Girona,where he moved to be near the al-abaster quarries at Beuda, but hehad workshops in Barcelona at theFont dels Arcs, at a place called‘Alipades’.

Bargués, Arnau (? - Barcelona1413). One of the most representa-tive Catalan Gothic architects. Tookpart in a meeting held in Girona in1386 to discuss whether theCathedral should be continued witha single nave. Master builder ofBarcelona Cathedral. In charge ofthe construction of the Palau delRei Martí at Poblet, the Palau delsCabrera in Blanes, and the façadeof Barcelona City Hall.

Bartomeu, master (13th C.). Sculp-tor considered to have introduced‘fall Gothic’ to Catalan sculpture.Worked in his home town of Gironaand in Tarragona, where he did thesculptures on the Cathedral fa-çade, notably the magnificent Vir-gin on the transom (1277) whichshows French influence. Designedthe original funeral monument(1291-95) to Peter II the Great atSantes Creus.

Bassa, Ferrer (14th C.). Painter andminiaturist, active in Barcelona(workshop on the Carrer de laCucurulla). Worked for Peter III theCeremonious on decoration for theRoyal Palace chapels in Barcelona,Saragossa, Lleida, Majorca andPerpignan. His finest works are thepaintings (1343-46) for the SantMiquel cell at the monastery ofPedralbes, which reveal direct know-ledge of Italian painting and consti-tute a blend of the styles of the greatmasters of Siena and Florence.Responsible for the spread of Italianinfluence in Catalan Gothic painting.Collaborated with his son ArnauBassa who died, probably from theBlack Death, in 1349 and who con-tinued to work in a distinctly Italianstyle. Works at Manresa, in the mu-seums of Barcelona and Vic, and inthe USA (Cambridge, Baltimore andNew York).

Bermejo, Bartolomé (? - after1498). Painter from Cordoba. Livedin Valencia and Aragon and proba-bly also in the Low Countries, sincepaintings bear direct traces ofFlemish influences. The last stageof his career —from 1486 on-wards— was spent in Barcelona,where he painted La Pietat Desplà(1490), considered his master-piece, and designed stained glassfor the Cathedral.

Bernés, Pere (2nd half 14th C.).Valencian silversmith in the serviceof Peter III the Ceremonious. Worksin the main cities of the realm(Barcelona, Valencia, Majorca, Per-pignan, etc.), including moulds forroyal seals and the coronation sword.His best known works (1370-80) arepart of the altarpiece on the high al-tar at Girona Cathedral and the cros-ses attributed to him at the Museude la Catedral, also in Girona.

Borrassà, Lluís (? - Barcelona1425/26). Painter from a long line ofGirona artists. Settled in Barcelona in1383, where he received numerouscommissions from all over Catalonia,some from the Kings. Took part inpreparations for the coronation cere-monies held in Saragossa. His work-

shop was highly productive and hisnumerous collaborators and disci-ples included two slaves: Lluc (aTartar) and Jordi (a black). He intro-duced international Gothic style toCatalan painting.

Cascalls, Jaume (14th C.). Sculptorand master builder from Berga. Hisearliest known work is the altar-piece (1345) at Cornellà de Con-fluent in Northern Catalonia (theRoussillon). He married the daugh-ter of the painter Ferrer Bassa. Theroyal tombs at Poblet, ordered byPeter III the Ceremonious (1349),were begun by him in collaborationwith master Aloi, though Cascallsdid the greater part of the work.From 1360 he combined this taskwith that of directing the construc-tion of the cloister and bell tower atthe Seu Vella in Lleida, a city onwhich he left his mark. Consideredthe leading figure of the Catalanschool of Gothic sculpture whichdeveloped from the mid-14th C.

Dalmau, Lluís (? - after 1460).Painter from Valencia. He spent thelast stage of his career in Catalonia inthe service of Alfons IV the Mag-nanimous at whose command hetravelled to Flanders, probably onsome diplomatic mission. His mas-terpiece, the altarpiece of ElsConsellers (signed and dated 1445),shows direct knowledge of theworks of Van Eyck and he is one ofthe main representatives of the Fle-mish trend in Catalan Gothic art.

Déu, Jordi de (14-15th C.). Sculptorof Greek origin, also known as JordiJoan. Slave and disciple of JaumeCascalls, whose work he contin-ued. Active 1361-1418 at Lleida,Poblet, Tarragona (where he had ahouse on the Carrer de la Bo-queria), Cervera and, at the end ofhis life, Barcelona, where he collab-orated with his sons Antoni and es-pecially Pere Joan, who was an ex-cellent sculptor.

Ferrer, Jaume (15th C.). Name oftwo painters, probably father andson, Jaume Ferrer I and JaumeFerrer II. Mainly active aroundLleida, where they introduced inter-national Gothic style. The formerwas the leading painter in Lleida inthe first third of the 15th C. Theworks of the second, documented1430-61, reveal a combination ofnaturalism and fantasy which ishighly characteristic of contempo-rary tastes.

Fonoll, Reinard (14th C.). Englishmaster builder and sculptor, activein Catalonia in 1332-73. Worked onthe cloister at Santes Creus, atMontblanc and at Tarragona. Othersculptures attributed to him are ofmore doubtful authenticity.

Huguet, Jaume (Valls c. 1415 -Barcelona 1492). Painter. Repre-sents the golden age of CatalanGothic painting. Adapted featuresof Flemish art and the ItalianQuattrocento to the tastes of con-temporary Catalan society (re-splendent gilts and profuse orna-mentation). By 1448 he had settledin Barcelona. Following the deathof Bernat Martorell, a neighbour ofhis uncle and guardian, PereHuguet, his reputation grew. Fromthen onwards his output increased,as did his influence on other artists.

Joan, Pere (c. 1395 - after 1468).Possibly the foremost sculptor in15th C. Catalonia. Son of Jordi deDéu. Worked in Barcelona on thePalau de la Generalitat, where hismaturity as an artist is already visi-ble. Commissioned by bishopDalmau de Mur to make an altar-

piece for the high altar in TarragonaCathedral. When the bishop wastransferred to Saragossa, he com-missioned another for SaragossaCathedral. In 1450 he entered theservice of the court of Alfons IV theMagnanimous in Naples and col-laborated with Guillem Sagrerafrom Majorca on the Castelnuovo.His best works, notably his reliefs,reveal a sensitivity akin to thesculptors of the Italian Quattro-cento.

Martorell, Bernat (Sant Celoni, ? -Barcelona, 1452). Painter, son of abutcher. Known for a long time asthe ‘Sant Jordi master’ on accountof the magnificent altarpiece ofSaint George now at the Art Ins-titute in Chicago. Went to live inBarcelona where, after the death ofLluís Borrassà, his workshop (in theFramenors district) became theleading one in the city. His cus-tomers were guilds, confraternities,public officials and churchmenfrom all over Catalonia. Also ex-celled at drawing and miniatures.

Moragues, Pere (14th C.). Sculptorand silversmith, active in Cataloniaand Aragon. His early works werereligious statues. Later he workedin stone, his main achievement be-ing the tomb of the archbishop ofSaragossa, Lope Fernández deLuna (1379). In latter years he con-centrated on silver. The mon-strance he made for his patronPeter III the Ceremonious (Cor-porals de Daroca, 1384) is one ofthe finest pieces of medieval silver-ware. He was master builder of thecathedral in Tortosa (1382).

Mur, Ramon de (? - c. 1435).Painter. Documented 1412-35.Known for a long time as the ‘Gui-merà master’ on account of the al-tarpiece from this village (MEV)which is his masterpiece. He hadworkshops at Tàrrega and Mont-blanc and the bulk of his outputwas for the Conca de Barberà-Urgell-Segarra region. Worked ininternational Gothic style.

Oller, Pere (14-15th C.). Sculptor.Trained under Pere Sanglada onthe choir at Barcelona Cathedral. AtPoblet he made the tomb ofFerdinand I of Antequera (of whichscattered fragments remain). Healso worked round Girona (proba-bly his home town). His master-piece is the altarpiece (1420-26) forthe high altar at Vic Cathedral,which features his characteristicsquat figures. More concerned withdetail and ornamentation than withexpression.

Sanglada, Pere (14-15th C.).Sculptor, active around 1400. Livedin the Sant Just district of Barcelona.His major works are the carved fig-ures on the choir stalls in BarcelonaCathedral, begun in 1394, on whichhe collaborated with several otherartists (the misericords show partic-ularly remarkable powers of imagi-nation). He often worked with the ar-chitect Arnau Bargués (eg. onBarcelona City Hall). He travelled toFlanders and was instrumental in in-troducing international Gothic stylein Catalan sculpture. His style is re-fined and elegant.

Serra, Pere (second half 14th C.).Painter. Brother of Francesc andJaume Serra, considered the mostimportant of the three. Much of hislarge output was done in Catalonia,but he also worked in Aragon (Sa-ragossa), around Valencia (Segor-be) and in Sicily (Syracuse). Hispaintings, full of small, graceful fig-ures, are in Italian-type style. Hewas the teacher of Lluís Borrassà.

Biographical notes on leading Gothic artists

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World Heritage Site

Gothic building

Airport

Gotico anglesESMENAT5 8/7/08 16:50 Página 13

This attractiveroute runs throughthe Tarragona re-gion, amid pleasantland and seascapes,and affords the op-portunity to visit awide selection ofGothic and otherhistoric buildings.From Tarragona,with its characteris-tic Gothic Cathe-dral, we drive north-east up the coast tothe interesting cas-tles of Tamarit andAltafulla where ogi-val forms are foundside by side with

characteristic keeps from the same period.Turning inland along the road to Salomó and Montferri, we come to a

Gothic monument of vital importance: the monastery of Santes Creus.On the way here, anyone with time should make a detour through Valls tosee the remarkable Gothic statue of the Virgin of La Candela, to watch thetraditional human towers built by the castellers and to taste the local culi-nary speciality of calçots (grilled onion shoots).

The exceptionally impressive monastery of Santes Creus stands amidwhite poplars on the banks of the Gaià and is worth visiting in detail. Ourroute continues through El Pla de Santa Maria and the Cabra pass toMontblanc, the capital of the Conca de Barberà region, which has a pic-turesque and well-kept medieval quarter with fine Gothic buildings sur-rounded by spectacular city walls.

Just 5 km from Montblanc is L’Espluga de Francolí. The Gothic churchof Sant Miquel and the old hospital both stand on the square. Visitorsshould sample the local biscuits (rifaclis and carquinyolis). Close toL’Espluga is the great Cistercian monastery of Poblet, one of the most re-markable groups of medieval buildings in the western world, whose elabo-rate Gothic style radiates serenity.

After this, the road winds slowly up through attractive mountain sceneryto the enchanting Vila Vermella (‘red-stone village’) of Prades at an alti-tude of 1,000 m. Through the gates in the medieval walls we enter a squarewith archways containing a Romanesque-Gothic parish church and an at-tractive fountain. The route continues over the L’Albarca pass and through

Cornudella to the picturesque ruins of the Carthusian monastery ofEscaladei, which has some Gothic features and stands below the toweringrock faces of the Montsant range. It was the monastery of Escaladei whichundertook the resettlement of the surrounding Priorat region.

The road winds slowly up the Montsant valley, amid vineyards andclumps of pines growing on slate ground, to Cabassers, where an exception-al 15th C. altarpiece is located. Crossing the river beyond the medievalbridge, we climb through rugged scenery with great horizontal slabs of rockand caves, to the more inviting setting of La Palma d’Ebre.

Finally we reach the Ebro valley where the ruins of Flix castle and thetown itself with its church of Santa Maria, rise above a wide sweep of theriver. We drive on down the slow flowing Ebro (one of the largest rivers inthe Iberian peninsula), through the Pas de l’Ase, where the waters pick upspeed, as far as Móra la Nova. From here a rewarding 10 km side trip takesus to Tivissa, where the interesting original Gothic architecture of thechurch must be discovered inside the Renaissance extensions and where,from La Baranova, one can enjoy a view over the green fields of the Riberad’Ebre plain.

On the way from Móra d’Ebre to Gandesa via Benissanet and El Pinellde Brai, our main stop is at the ruined castle of the Knights Templar, whichtowers above the village and river at Miravet. We drive through ruggedscenery to the more pleasant Terra Alta plain, overlooked by the capitalGandesa, where there are mansions with Gothic features and other build-ings of interest. The road climbs up through Bot to Horta de Sant Joan,where the parish church stands in attractive surroundings. Just outside thevillage, amid scenery reminiscent of Montserrat, lies the Convent of SantSalvador.

We now follow the Ebro to the city of Tortosa, which has an outstandingGothic Cathedral and a great many other buildings in the same style.Around Amposta there are keeps, such as La Carrova. Ulldecona, furthersouth and virtually on the border with Castelló, is well worth visiting onaccount of the various Gothic buildings, notably the parish church.

On our way back to Tarragona up the Costa Daurada we can make a briefstop at L’Hospitalet de l’Infant, where there is a hospital founded in the 14th

C. One can also make a trip inland towards Montbrió del Camp andRiudecanyes to admire the few Gothic features and the panoramic view fromthe hilltop monastery of Escornalbou. The road continues amid the or-chards of Baix Camp till we reach the bustling city of Reus overlooked by thetall bell tower of the Gothic church of Sant Pere. A short way inland fromReus we can inspect the interesting Gothic and Renaissance buildings at LaSelva del Camp and not far from the popular and historic shrine ofParetdelgada, surrounded by hazel groves and fruit orchards. Finally, fromReus our route returns to its starting point in Tarragona.

Main historicbuildingsAltafullla. Coastal village whichgrew up around the attractive andwell preserved castle with loop-holes, towers and crenellated walls.Though basically Gothic, it was re-stored and renovated in later pe-riods.

Amposta. Town near the mouth ofthe Ebro where an important com-mand of the order of Hospitallerswas located in the Middle Ages.The tower of La Carrova, on theright bank of the river, lies within theextensive borough boundaries,which take in part of the Ebro delta.It is a typical 14th C. medieval keepwith large Gothic windows andvaulting. On the opposite side ofthe river, in the borough of Tortosa,stands the tower of Camp-redófrom the same period. These twotwin towers guarded the entranceto the estuary.

Cabassers. Agricultural town in thevalley of the river Monsant which isspanned by the interesting 14th C.Pont Vell (‘old bridge’) with its threearches and characteristic pointedshape. The parish church containsmost of the early 15th C. painted al-tarpiece of Santa Maria, attributedto the ‘Cabassers Master’, whowas close to Lluís Borrassà.

Escaladei. Former charterhouse,the first to be founded in Cataloniaand in Spain (1167), the ruins ofwhich stand in an attractive settingat La Morera de Montsant inPriorat. Of special note are the 12-13th C. Romanesque church andvarious neoclassical features.There are also remains of two 14th

and 15th C. Gothic cloisters.

Escornalbou. Former monastery ofregular canons (Franciscan Conventfrom 1580 onwards) in Riudecanyes,near Reus. Restoration was under-taken in 1910. Mostly Romanesque,though some parts are 13-14th C.with Gothic features. Artists whoworked on the monastery includedPere Oller and Master Aloi.

L’Espluga de Francolí. Agriculturaltown known for its waters and be-cause of the proximity of Poblet.Medieval remains include the finechurch of Sant Miquel (1294-1365;single nave, ribbed vaulting, andpolygonal apse with chapels). Op-

From Tarragona to the Ebro valley via the Gaià, Francolí

and Montsant valleys

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

Tarragona: Cathedral cloister

Escornalbou

Gotico anglesESMENAT5 8/7/08 16:50 Página 14

15

posite it stands the handsome 14th C. hospital containing an at-tractive open courtyard with stonearches.

Flix. Town located on a wide bendin the Ebro river, home of an impor-tant electrochemical industry.During the Middle Ages Flix castleplayed an important part in control-ling navigation on the river. Thoughrepeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, itstill has some medieval features.The parish church is a fine exampleof the survival of Gothic buildingtechniques into the 16th C. (part ofthe 13th C. church still stands).

Gandesa. Capital of the wine-grow-ing comarca of Terra Alta. Churchwith a famous Romanesque door-way by sculptors belonging to theSchool of Lleida. Mansions which,despite alterations, conserve Gothicfeatures: Presó (former house of theHospitallers), Casa Consistorial, etc.

Horta de Sant Joan. Village whichbelonged to the military orders ofthe Templars and Hospitallers in theMiddle Ages and became well-known in more recent times be-cause of its connection withPicasso, who painted early Cubistworks there. Parts of it have retainedconsiderable character. FineRenaissance town hall. 14-16th C.Gothic parish church (stonecutters’marks are visible on the stones inthe beautiful sanctuary). In a pic-turesque setting on the outskirts isthe former Franciscan Convent of LaMare de Déu dels Àngels, or SantSalvador d’Horta. The church has a14th C. Gothic doorway and atrium,the latter containing funeral urns.

L’Hospitalet de l’Infant. Town nearthe coast, south of Baix Camp,which grew up around the formerHospital del Coll de Balaguer, ahospice for travellers founded inthe first half of the 14th C. by QueenBlanche of Anjou and her sonPrince Peter. The building, which isin bad condition, is typical of largeCatalan Gothic hospices: roomswith diaphragm arches and wood-en ceilings arranged round a court-yard with an adjoining chapel.There were also keeps, one ofwhich still stands.

Miravet. Small town on the bank ofthe Ebro below the imposing hulk ofMiravet castle which occupies astrategic spot overlooking the riverat the entrance to the narrow gorgeknown as Pas de Barrufemes.

Already a key fortress under theArabs, following the Christian con-quest it became an important com-mand of the Knights Templar, thelast redoubt of this order inCatalonia, and was later taken overby the Hospitallers. It is a prime ex-ample of medieval military architec-ture. Most of the buildings are fromthe 13th C., the period of transitionfrom Romanesque to Gothic.Besides the walls and the powerful,impregnable-looking towers, thereis a fine church with rooms above it,a courtyard and a large room knownas the ‘stable room’. It affords astrikingly beautiful panorama. TheGeneralitat has undertaken signifi-cant restoration work there.

Montblanc. Important town in me-dieval times, lying at the heart ofConca de Barberà of which it is thecapital. The walls surrounding theold town were built on orders fromPeter III the Ceremonious in the sec-ond half of the 14th C. One of thebest preserved fortified towns inCatalonia. The layout of the streetscorresponds basically to the me-dieval concept of a city. Several in-teresting noble mansions, one ofwhich houses the Arxiu-Museu deMontblanc. The most interesting ofthe religious buildings is the churchof Santa Maria with a single nave,chapels between the buttresses anda Baroque façade. The English mas-ter, Reinard Fonoll, was involved inbuilding it. Inside are a Gothic statueof the Virgin (Mare de Déu del Cor)and a 14th C. stone altarpiece. Thechurch of Sant Miquel is older andsimpler with a wooden roof support-ed by diaphragm arches. The churchof the former Hospital de SantMarçal has the same layout. Outsidethe walled precincts, near the oldLleida road, is the Hospital de SantaMagdalena, once the most importantin the town. Its most characteristicfeature is the late 15th C. cloister. TheGothic bridge over the Francolí is onthe same road and further along it isthe Convent de la Mercè (or delMiracle) with a 14th C. church. On theopposite side of the town is theConvent de Sant Francesc whosechurch, built around 1300, has beenrestored. The shrine of La Serra isalso located outside the walls. It hasvarious Gothic features and containsa beautiful 14th C. statue of the Virgin(Mare de Déu de la Serra, the pa-troness of the town).

Poblet. The monastery of Poblet,lying in attractive woodlandscenery in Conca de Barberà be-

tween Vimbodí (the borough towhich it belongs) and L’Espluga deFrancolí, is one of the most impor-tant groups of medieval monasticbuildings in the western world. Itbelongs to the Cistercians, whofounded it around 1150 thanks to adonation from Count RamonBerenguer IV aimed at resettlinglands recently reconquered fromthe Moors. The church and refecto-ry are in Cistercian style (12th C.).The cloister and adjoining build-ings, the chapter house and thepresent library are 13th C., as is themonks’ dormitory where the sys-tem of a wooden roof supported bydiaphragm arches, which is char-acteristic of Catalan Gothic archi-tecture, is used with great skill. Inthe 14th C., royal protection over themonastery was increased. Thewalls with their magnificent RoyalGate flanked by two large polygo-nal towers were built. Around 1400the Palau del Rei Martí was con-structed, as was the great churchlantern, which was restored. In themidst of the 15th C. Alfons IV the

Magnanimous had the chapel ofSant Jordi built. However, the mosteloquent expression of the relation-ship between the House of Bar-celona and the monastery is pro-vided by the royal tombs inside thechurch. It was Peter III the Cere-monious who chose Poblet as theroyal burial place. Leading Catalansculptors of the day, such asMaster Aloi, Jaume Cascalls, Jordide Déu and Pere Oller, took part inthe long task of building the tombs.They were rebuilt in modern timesby Frederic Marès. The Catalankings buried at Poblet are: Alfons Ithe Chaste (1154-96), James I theConqueror (1208-76), Peter III theCeremonious (1319-87), John I theLover of Kindness (1350-96),Martin I the Humane (1356-1410),Ferdinand I of Antequera (1380-1416), Alfons IV the Magnanimous(1396-1458), and John II (1398-1479). The main altarpiece is aRenaissance work by DamiàForment and the church doorway isBaroque. Monastic life was re-sumed in 1940. It was declared aWorld Heritage Site by UNESCO in1991.

Prades. Former centre of an impor-tant medieval earldom linked to theCatalan-Aragonese crown. Knownas the ‘Villa Vermella’ (‘red town’)on account of its interesting historicbuildings in Triassic red stone:parts of the walls, two 14th C. gateswith voussoirs, a charming squarewith archways and a parish churchin Romanesque-Gothic transitional

style with later additions (the oldestparts are in the nave). The monu-mental cross is 13th C.

Reus. One of the most lively anddynamic cities in New Cataloniawhich developed mainly from the18th C. onwards. The only thing re-maining from the Middle Ages is the13th C. castle of El Cambrer in whicha number of rooms with Gothicarches are preserved. The priorychurch of Sant Pere is an ambitiousbuilding by master Benet Otgerfrom Lyon begun in 1512 but Gothicin style, with a single nave andchapels between the buttresses.

Santes Creus. Important formerCistercian monastery set in a seclud-ed valley near the Gaià in the bor-ough of Aiguamúrcia, in the northernpart of the Tarragona region. The lay-out corresponds closely to theCistercian model, the various build-ings clustering around the cloisterwhile the church is located to the left.The architecture ranges from Cis-tercian (late transition Romanesque)style to full Gothic. One of the oldestparts is the church (1174-1225)which has ribbed vaulting, a largeGothic window in the façade and arose window over the chevet pre-serving part of the medieval stainedglass. Near the chancel are severalfine tombs inside graceful Gothictemples. That of Peter II the Great(1240-85) was made by the sculptorknown as Master Bartomeu in 1291-95 from a large slab of Roman por-phyry, while on that of James II

Poblet: interior of the church Santes Creus: Palau Reial

Montblanc: Santa Magdalena

Montblanc: city walls

Poblet: cloister

Santes Creus: one of the capitals in the cloister

Gotico anglesESMENAT5 8/7/08 16:51 Página 15

16

(1267-1327) are the reclining figures(c. 1315) of the king and his wifeBlanche of Anjou by Francesc deMontflorit. The mostly 14th C. cloistercontains the tombs of noble families.Of note are the flamboyant traceryand the imaginative decoration onthe impost and capitals by theEnglish master Reinard Fonoll. Otherbuildings of great interest include thechapter house, which contains thetombs of various abbots, the monks’dormitory on the upper floor, with di-aphragm arches, and the royalpalace near the real cloister, builtfrom 1276 onward by Peter II. In theBernat Calbó Square (Calbó was ab-bot in the days of James I), is the ab-bot’s palace (1640), of which thecharming small front cloister hasbeen preserved.

La Selva del Camp. Village in theTarragona region which was impor-tant in the Middle Ages. An inter-esting group of Renaissance build-ings have been preserved. The lay-out of the old town dates back tothe Middle Ages and significantparts of the 14th C. walls still stand.To the north are the remains of thecastle. The small church of SantPau and chapel of Santa Llúcia iSant Jaume are both Gothic.

Tamarit. Former castle and man-sion on a hill overlooking the coast,now part of the borough of Tarra-gona. The walls and keeps werebuilt from 1363 onwards to provideprotection from pirates. The groupof buildings, which includes aRomanesque church and later con-structions, was restored in 1916 bythe American art collector C. Deer-ing under the supervision of thepainter Ramon Casas. Nearby areother 14-16th C. keeps such asthose of En Segur, Mas d’enSorder, Mas Cosidor, Mas de laCreu and Torre de la Móra, the laston the headland of the same name.

Tarragona. Already an importantcity in Roman times when it was thecapital of Hispania Citerior. ManyRoman remains: amphitheatre, the-atre, walls, circus, etc. Ancientbishopric which, in the MiddleAges, became the metropolitanarchdiocese of Catalonia. TheCathedral stands on top of the hillwhere the old city was located, onthe site of the great Roman templeof which part of the walls and otheritems remain. It is one of the finestexamples of Gothic architecture inCatalonia. Begun in 1171 (thoughnot completed until the 14th C.), it isin transition Gothic style. The lay-out comprising three aisles and atransept, is Romanesque, but theceiling has Gothic ribbed vaulting.Above the transept is a large andbeautiful lantern. The two sides ofthe façade are Romanesque whilethe central, unfinished part, is total-ly Gothic with a large rose windowand beautiful sculptures. The Virginon the transom and the Apost-les are by Master Bartomeu (late 13th C.), the first of the great CatalanGothic sculptors. The cloister also

belongs to the first stage of build-ing, with clear traces of the Ro-manesque tradition and magnifi-cent door into the Cathedral, butthe chapels opening onto it are lat-er. The remarkable chapter housenow houses part of the Museu Diocesà. Fine polychrome statue of the Virgin (Mare de Déu delClaustre).Various works of art can be ad-mired inside the Cathedral. In the chancel is the main altarpiece(1426-33) by the great sculptor PereJoan. The subtlety of his art is espe-cially clear in the predella depictingscenes from the life of Saint Tecla, atheme also represented on the mar-ble antependium. To the right is thetomb of the patriarch and archbish-op John of Aragon, an outstanding14th C. sculpture probably by anItalian master. The Capella dels Sa-stres (‘tailors’ chapel’) forms a ho-mogeneous whole whose main fea-ture is the altarpiece by master Aloicompleted by paintings and figureson the upper part. A group of late15th C. sculptures, the SantSepulcre, is located beside thechoir. The 14th C. coffering in thesacristy is also of note.Round the Cathedral are other fine buildings: the Cambreria on thePla de La Seu, with its courtyard:the former 12-15th C. Hospital deSanta Tecla, on Les Coques av-enue; and the Casa del Degà on theCarrer de les Escrivanies which hasembedded tombstones with an-cient inscriptions (two in Hebrew).On the Carrer de la Merceria thereare Gothic archways and moremansions line the Carrer Major. Theold buildings around the Plaça delPallol have Gothic features. TheRoman and Gothic worlds blend inthe former Praetorium or medievalCastell del Rei which was fitted upas royal palace in the 14th C. withthe addition of a large Gothic room(an annex of the Museu d’Històriade Tarragona). Rising from the longstretch of Roman walls along the

Passeig Arqueològic is the 14th C.Torre de l’Arquebisbe witch wasbuilt on a Roman base.

Tivissa. Village in a mountainousregion overlooking the Ebro valley.During medieval times it was ofsome importance and walls werebuilt round it from which one forti-fied gate has been preserved. Theparish church, which was enlargedin the Renaissance and Baroqueperiods, has a Gothic chancel withribbed vaulting (13-14th C.) and afine Renaissance façade. The sac-risty contains a small museum withgold and silverware.

Tortosa. Cathedral city at the be-ginning of the Ebro delta, capital ofSouthern Catalonia. Already impor-tant in Roman and Arab times.Many important historic monu-ments, especially in Gothic andRenaissance styles. The Cathedral is a basic work ofCatalan Gothic architecture. It wasbegun in 1347 and the main altarwas consecrated in 1441, afterwhich the work progressed moreslowly. It was designed by MasterBernat d’Alguaire, though theCathedral archives contain parch-ments showing that alternativeplans were drawn up, an unusualprocedure for the period whichmakes them of great value. Thereare three aisles, a double ambula-tory and chapels between the but-tresses of the nave. The design ofthe chevet is similar to that of LaSeu in Manresa, the buttresses be-ing left open so that only traceryseparates the chapels of the apse.There are several beautiful works ofart inside: main altarpiece (1351) intriptych form (unusual in CatalanGothic altarpieces), with sculpturesinside and Italianstyle paintingsoutside; altarpiece of the Transfigu-ration (2nd half of the 15th C.) madein the workshop of Jaume Huguetwith very graceful figures and richornamentation; baptismal font

bearing the coat of arms of the an-tipope Benedict XIII; pulpits; andthe tapestry of the Last Supper andCrist de Palau carved in wood. Thecloister has all the simplicity ofCatalan Gothic architecture, withgalleries of undecorated arcades.The inner walls contain many stonetombstones. Both the outside ofthe Cathedral (Baroque façade) andthe inside contain interesting fea-tures in later styles. Beside the Cathedral stands themagnificent early 14th C. GothicBishop’s Palace, which has a char-acteristic courtyard with projectingstairs and arcades on the first floor.The chapel is a small masterpieceand the entrance is decorated withfine sculptures. Other religiousbuildings with Gothic features arethe former Convent de Santa Clarain the upper town, with its beautifulcloister, and the former church ofSant Domènec, now the Museu-Arxiu Municipal. On a promontory overlooking thecity stands the most remarkable civil

building in Tortosa, the fortressknown as La Suda, built by theArabs and converted into a royalresidence in the days of James II(13-14th C.) with the addition of newrooms and fortifications. Stretchesof the walls and some towers remainand it has now been converted intoa ‘parador’. Other noteworthy civilbuildings include several palaces(Oliver de Boteller —to which aGothic fountain is adjoined—,Despuig and Oriol), all of which arelate Gothic and have undergone re-building. The interesting trade ex-change (Llotja de Mar or Porxo delBlat, 1369-73), now in the city park,bears witness to Tortosa’s tradingrole in the Middle Ages.

Ulldecona. Town in the extremesouth of Catalonia, once the centreof an important community of theorder of Hospitallers. The still im-posing old castle on the outskirts isa fine example of the architectureof the military orders in Catalonia,with a walled enclosure, circulartower and solid 13th C. fortifiedpalace alongside the church of ElsÀngels. In the town, besides sever-al mansions and other buildings ofnote, there is the parish church ofSant Lluc (1373-1421). It has onelarge nave and chapels betweenthe buttresses in characteristicCatalan Gothic style, as well as anattractive side doorway. The Casade la Comanda also in the town,has an interesting Gothic façade.

Valls. Town in the Tarragona area,capital of Alt Camp, commercial andagricultural centre with an estab-lished industrial tradition. Despite itsimportance in medieval times, fewhistoric buildings remain. The late16th C. parish church by BartomeuRoig is a clear example of the longsurvival of Catalan Gothic archi-tecture. A restored Gothic statue ofthe Virgin (Mare de Déu de laCandela, the patroness of the town)is venerated here. Jaume Huguet,the most important of the CatalanGothic painters, was born in Vallsaround 1415.

Tarragona: detail of Cathedral door Tarragona: Cathedral door knocker Tarragona: Cathedral, main altarpiece (detail)

Miravet

Altafulla Tamarit

Tortosa: Cathedral

Gotico anglesESMENAT5 8/7/08 16:52 Página 16

The works of Go-thic art on this at-tractive route are setamid a variety oflandscapes, rangingfrom the broad Llei-da plain with itsleafy orchards and itsnon-irrigated areasof almond and olivegroves, to the wildmountainous sceneryfurther north.

After visiting theoutstanding Gothicbuildings in Lleida,we follow the rightbank of the Segre toSoses and Seròs,where the melan-choly ruins of the

Trinitarian monastery of Vinganya (now being gradually restored) standbeside the road to La Granja d’Escarp. We cross the Segre, leaving the earlyChristian archaeological excavations at El Bovalar to our right, and go onthrough Maials and the shrub-covered Llardecans hills to Torrebesseswhere we can admire the beautiful Gothic altarpiece of Sant Joan and thesmall, well set-out museum of ethnography and folklore.

A track towards Granyena comes out onto the road to El Soleràs andCastelldans which affords wide views over arable land round Juneda. Thearchways and medieval mansions of Juneda provide a foretaste of those atnearby Les Borges Blanques, the capital of Garrigues, where visitorsshould stroll round the charming and elongated Plaça Major. This townproduces some of the finest olive oil in the world and the characteristic smellof olive presses hovers in the air. Not far to the east is the imposing Gothicmanor house of La Floresta and the adjoining church of Sant Blai.

A short distance along the main road to Montblanc is the fine 14th C.church of Vinaixa, inside which are several beautiful altarpieces. Fromhere it is worth going on to see the quaint medieval parts of the village ofL’Albi. Further along the main road, the turning to Tarrés and Fulledatakes us to L’Espluga Calba, clustering at the foot of the great façade of theold castle of the Knights Hospitallers. We are now on the border betweenGarrigues and Urgell and we take the Maldà road as far as the monasteryof Vallbona de les Monges, another masterpiece of Gothic architecture,where the stillness of the cloister further enhances the fine tracery of thewindows.

Proceeding east along the banks of the Corb, we reach Guimerà, one ofthe most characteristic medieval villages of inland Catalonia where, belowthe Gothic church, a maze of quaint old streets winds down the hillside. Wecontinue eastwards through the spa of Vallfogona to Santa Coloma deQueralt where one should take a leisurely walk from the interesting parishchurch through the streets and the squares with their archways, savouringthe old-time atmosphere.

Follow the main route north to Talavera, where there is a beautifulGothic tomb, and thence to the walled city of Cervera, the capital ofSegarra, stretching along the Les Savines pass. An idea of the architectural

Main historicbuildingsÀger. Old village in the centre of asunny valley south of the Montsec.Reinforced ruins of the Roma-nesque church of the former colle-giate of Sant Pere and remains ofthe Gothic cloister. The presentparish church is also in Gothicstyle. Items of sculpture from thoseand other buildings in the town,which originally had an importantcastle and walled enclosure, can beseen in the Museu Diocesà deLleida and the MNAC.

Agramunt. Agricultural and industrialtown near the Urgell canal. Capital ofthe earldom of Urgell in the MiddleAges. Fine historic buildings remain.Large Romanesque church doorway,the main feature of which is a fine setof sculptures around the central fig-ure of the Virgin which, according tothe inscription, was commissionedby the village weavers in 1283. Thetop of the bell tower was made in the14th C. and recalls the great lanternsat Poblet and Vallbona.

Albesa. Agricultural village insouthern Noguera. In the parishchurch is a noteworthy late 14th C.altarpiece in polychrome stone de-picting the Virgin, considered theprototype work of a group of sculp-tors from the School of Lleida.

L’Albi. Agricultural village in Garri-gues. The remains of the castletower over the old centre, wherefragments of the 14th C. walls stillstand and the medieval atmos-phere still pervades several spots,such as the covered passagewayof the Carrer del Call.

Almenar. Agricultural village in Se-grià. 14th C. parish church with lan-tern, three aisles, octagonal chevet,and late Romanesque façade by theSchool of Lleida. 18thC. neoclassicaladditions to the façade and belltower. Old 15th C. monumental crossin the Plaça de Soldevila.

Alòs de Balaguer. Village in No-guera at the foot of a castle built ontop of a cliff overlooking the Segreof which the imposing walls, around tower and pointed arches re-main. The parish church containsthe fine stone altarpiece of SantFeliu in a style characteristic of theSchool of Lleida which was proba-bly made up of sculptors engaged

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

From Lleida to the Val d’Aran

through the Urgell plains, Noguera and the Pallars mountains

qualities of the town can be had by walking along the gently curvingCarrer Major towards the Paeria, admiring the outstanding Gothic churchof Santa Maria.

There are Gothic buildings in Tàrrega, the capital of Urgell, west ofCervera, and a Gothic parish church and castle in Verdú, not far to thesouth, where traditional black pottery pitchers for keeping water cool arestill made.

After visiting Anglesola, near Tàrrega, we proceed along the main roadto Bellpuig d’Urgell, where there are two Gothic cloisters. The road north-wards to Tornabous runs through land irrigated by the Urgell Canal, be-fore reaching Agramunt. Here, in addition to admiring the remarkableGothic monuments, we can enjoy other lesser attractions: the local nougat(torró) and chocolate (xocolata a la pedra).

We now travel in a westerly direction to Montgai, before turning north tothe interesting Gothic parish church at Cubells, perched above the roadfrom Lleida to La Seu d’Urgell and commanding a fine view over theNoguera Pallaresa river valley. 10 km away, on the banks of the greatPyrenean river, the Segre, is the important town of Artesa de Segre. Beforebeginning our ascent into the mountains, we can take two interesting sidetrips: one down the Segre to Alòs de Balaguer to see the altarpiece of SantFeliu, and the other across the Segre, through Alentorn, to Vilanova deMeià, which lies at the heart of pleasant secluded countryside and has ahandsome Gothic parish church. An unusual market, at which quails,pheasants and partridges are sold, is held here in November for the feast ofSaint Martin.

From Artesa de Segre we must drive nearly 60 km, over the panoramicComiols pass, to Tremp, the capital of Pallars Jussà, in the middle of theNoguera Pallaresa valley on the right bank of the river. Tremp, whichboasts several Gothic works, notably a large and beautiful statue of theVirgin (Mare de Déu de Valldeflors), is the starting point for our long tripto the heart of the Pyrenees. First we explore the quaint medieval district ofnearby Salàs de Pallars, before driving up the Noguera and through theCollegats gorges to see the works of Romanesque and Gothic art at Sort, thecapital of Pallars Sobirà. We climb further into the Pyrenees, after havingvisited the village of Son, near València d’Àneu, over the breathtaking passof Port de la Bonaigua into the Val d’Aran to visit the churches of Vielha,Salardú and Arties, which have interesting Gothic features. It is a long dri-ve but the magnificent scenery alone would make the trip worthwhile.

The road back to Lleida from Tremp runs below the sheer stone walls ofthe Terradets gorges. The old road along the limestone rock faces of theMontsec range takes us to Àger, where we make a stop before crossing thehigh Àger pass and beginning the descent through Fontdepou to the highlyinteresting Gothic monastery of Bellpuig de les Avellanes.

The road continues to wind slowly down right to the entrance toBalaguer, the beautiful capital of Noguera, whose spacious Plaça delMercadal and important Gothic buildings warrant a leisurely visit. Fromhere we continue westward to Castelló de Farfanya to see the castle andcastle church, as well as the parish church of Sant Miquel, which has beenrestored in the light of contemporary taste.

From Alfarràs, further west, we come to Algerri where we take a sideroad to Albesa to see the altarpiece. Back in Alfarràs we proceed a little waydown the Noguera Pallaresa to the Gothic parish church at Almenar whichtowers above the town and acres of orchards irrigated by the Catalunya iAragó and Pinyana canals. The last 20 km of our tour from Almenar backto Lleida run through orchards and irrigated fields.

Àger

Lleida: Seu Vella

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on the Seu Vella in Lleida at the endof the 14th C. A second stone altar-piece is in Santa Maria in Balaguer.

Anglesola. Agricultural village nearthe Urgell Canal where part of thewalls, some fine old mansions andporticoed streets have been pre-served. The present 17th C. churchcontains sculptures from the earlierchurch: two Romanesque apostleson the façade and a 14th C. poly-chrome stone statue of Saint Paul onthe high altar. There was also a mag-nificent early 14th C. altarpiece with afigure of the Virgin, now in the Mu-seum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA.

Arties. Attractive village in the Vald’Aran. The simple late Roma-nesque parish church (12-13th C.)has elements which foreshadowGothic style, as do many villagechurches in the Val d’Aran and theborough of Naut Aran. In thechurch of Arties are a number ofpanels from the 15th C. Gothic altar-piece, while others are in theMuseu Diocesà de Lleida. Gothicchapel of Sant Joan, rebuilt in 1385and restored in modern times.

Balaguer. Capital of Noguera, in astrategic position near the Segre.Already an important town in Arabtimes, later the centre of the earl-dom of Urgell. Handsome church ofSanta Maria overlooking the town:single nave and chapels betweenthe buttresses in typical CatalanGothic style. Remarkable solidpolygonal bell tower on one side.Building began in 1351 on the ini-

tiative of Peter III the Ceremonious,who was born in Balaguer, but wasnot completed till nearly two cen-turies later. The old centre pre-serves many remains of the sur-rounding walls as well as severalmedieval-type streets and squareswith archways. Outside the centre,at the end of the former bridge, isthe Convent of Sant Domènecwhich was built at the instigation ofthe enterprising Count Ermengol Xof Urgell. The interesting cloister(2nd quarter of the 14th C.) containsarcades of a type first developed inthe Convent of Sant Francesc inPalma de Mallorca.

Bellpuig d’Urgell. Former centre ofa feudal domain of the Cardonafamily, one member of which,Ramon Folc de Cardona Anglesola(c. 1522), was Viceroy of Sicily andNaples. His mausoleum in theparish church is an extraordinaryRenaissance work. The Convent ofSant Bartomeu (begun 1507) wasbuilt at his instigation. It has an in-teresting cloister which is a goodexample of late Gothic style, andanother much simpler one withpointed arches.

Bellpuig de les Avellanes. Formerabbey of premonstratensian ca-nons in the south of the Àger valleyin the borough of Os de Balaguer. Itmaintained considerable vitalityover the centuries, was the burialplace of the Counts of Urgell (13-14th C.), and in the 18th C. be-came an important centre for his-torical studies. A Romanesque clois-

ter and several important Gothic fea-tures remain, such as the dormitoryand chapter house and the widechurch sanctuary (14th C.), now partof the modern building. After thesecularization of Church property(1835), it changed hands severaltimes and the early 14th C. counts’tombs, which are some of the earli-est creations of full Catalan Gothicsculpture, were sold (they arepresently in The Cloisters in NewYork). The abbey has been recentlyrestored by the Marist Brothers.

Les Borges Blanques. Capital ofGarrigues, a basically agriculturalcomarca known for its excellentolive oil. Noteworthy mansions withfeatures of Gothic inspiration andinteresting Plaça Major with widearcades.

Castelló de Farfanya. Village thatgrew up around an importantfortress of Arab origin and enjoyedthe protection of the Counts ofUrgell. It has kept much of its char-acter and some beautiful historic

buildings. Imposing towers andstretches of wall belonging to thecastle overlook the village. Besidethe castle is the former church ofSanta Maria (13401400), with apolygonal apse and large bell tow-er. On the doorway are the coats ofarms of Peter of Urgell who had itbuilt. In the formerly walled villageis the 13th C. late Romanesqueparish church of Sant Miquel withlater additions. Restored in 1987, itcontains a magnificent very late14th C. stone altarpiece by theSchool of Lleida dedicated to SantaMaria which comes from the castlechurch. The other painted andsculpted altarpieces, one by JaumeFerrer, have been moved else-where. Interesting Renaissanceand Baroque buildings.

Cervera. Capital of Segarra. Fo-remost among the historic build-ings is the former university, theonly university in Catalonia from1726 to 1842, which is neoclassicalwith a Baroque façade. Fine Ca-talan Gothicstyle church of SantaMaria, with three aisles, ribbedvaulting, and a polygonal apse withchapels. Begun early in the 14th C.,it was consecrated in 1358. Thestained glass in the chevet, someof which has survived, was madeby Colí de Maraya at the beginningof the next century. In the chapelsare the late 14th C. sarcophagi oftwo merchants called RamonSerra, one by Jordi de Déu and theother attributed to Pere Moragues,as well as that of Berenguer deCastelltort, the founder of a hospi-tal. Characteristic Catalan Gothicoctagonal bell tower. Sizeable partsof the walls built by Peter III theCeremonious still stand. The TownHall, adjoining the church, has afine Baroque façade (17-18th C.).The great Gothic archways insidethe old market have been broughtto light, as well as the Gothicchapel of Santa Eulàlia.

Cubells. Agricultural village in No-guera which possessed an impor-

tant castle in the Middle Ages. Partof the walls remain, as does thechurch (Santa Maria del Castell)with a magnificent late Roma-nesque doorway by the School ofLleida. 13-14th C. Gothic parishchurch of Sant Pere with a singlenave and pointed vaulting. Inside isa 13th C. Gothic alabaster figure ofthe Virgin (Mare de Déu de la Llet)which was in the castle chapel, andan interesting 15th C. pulpit. Thenoteworthy altarpieces have beenmoved: the altarpiece of Sant Pere,painted by Pere Serra, has been di-vided up among various museumsand collections (the alabaster figureof the saint is in the Museu Marès),while the stone altarpiece of SantaÚrsula, signed and dated by JoanReixac in Valencia in 1468, is in theMNAC, and the stone altarpiece ofSant Bartomeu, also by the Schoolof Lleida, is in the Museu Diocesàd’Urgell.

L’Espluga Calba. Village in Garri-gues where a command of the or-der of Hospitallers was established

Castelló de Farfanya: Sant Miquel, detail of the stone altarpiece

Lleida: Seu Vella: door of the Apostles

Balaguer

Arties

Cervera

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in the 15th C. The castle façade,which has doorways with voussoirsand Gothic windows, is almost in-tact.

La Floresta. Village in Garrigues.From its foundation in the MiddleAges it belonged to the powerfulCardona dynasty who, in the 13-14th C., converted the castle intoa large stone mansion house withseveral mullioned windows. It alsoincludes the parish church of SantBlai and a keep.

Guimerà. Walled village in Urgell,above the Corb river, at the foot of anow ruined castle. Picturesquemaze of quaint narrow streets withbeautiful medieval buildings. Themost important building is thechurch, which was begun in the14th C. It formerly contained an im-portant painted altarpiece (1402-12,now in the MEV) by Ramon de Mur,who for a long time was known asthe Guimerà master. On the out-skirts are the ruins of the formermonastery and Gothic church ofSanta Maria de Vallsanta.

Juneda. Agricultural and industrialtown with interesting medieval ele-ments, notably the archways on theCarrer Major, the Gothic Lamarcagate and several old mansions.

Lleida. Capital of the western in-land regions of Catalonia, built on apromontory above the Segre wherethe silhouette of the Old Cathedralis clearly visible. The many historicmonuments bear witness to its im-portant past.The Old Cathedral (Seu Vella) was one of the most ambitiousbuilding projects in medieval Ca-talonia and had a considerable im-pact on the surrounding area, at-tracting artists from elsewhere whoset up workshops which subse-quently grew in importance. Workon the Cathedral began in 1203and proceeded at a good pace until the 15th C. Though the designof the church is late Romanesque,the great lantern and the vaultingover the nave are Gothic in design.Full Gothic style is seen in the 14-15th C. bell tower, which is 60 mhigh, and in the magnificent 14th C.cloister which is both an atrium anda belvedere, affording a view overthe city and plain. The wide cloisterarches have exceptionally ela-borate tracery. The façades have13th C. Romanesque doors by theso-called School of Lleida, as wellas a Gothic door, the Porta delsApòstols, with interesting 14-15th C.

sculptures that have been partlydestroyed. Inside is the Montcadachapel, with 14th C. funeral sculp-tures of the Montcada family, other15th C. funeral monuments (Gallart,Barutell), fragments of the formermain altarpiece by BartomeuRubió, the linear Gothic Calvaripainted on the walls of the chapelof Santa Margarida, and otherworks.Near the Seu Vella, on the hillcalled Puig del Castell, stands partof a medieval fortress, the Castelldel Rei, built mainly in the 14th C.over the old Arab Suda, fromwhere the walls ran out round thecity. The first building in the oldquarter worthy of mention is the13th C. Romanesque church ofSant Llorenç, to which new aislesand a graceful bell tower wereadded in the 14th C. It houses agood collection of Gothic sculp-tures and stone altarpieces by theSchool of Lleida (2nd half of the 14th

C.), as well as a figure of the Virgin(Mare de Déu dels Fillols), from theOld Cathedral. The church of SantMartí, a simpler building to whichchapels were also added in the14-15th C., temporarily houses theProemium collection, a part of theMuseu de Lleida Diocesà i Co-marcal which it shares with thePalau Episcopal. The remarkablecity hall —La Paeria— was begunin the 13th C. (a row of Roma-nesque windows on one façadestill remains) but was built in sev-eral stages. It contains an interest-ing museum, as well as a Gothicaltarpiece (1440) by Jaume FerrerII from the former chapel.Opposite the neoclassical CatedralNova (‘New Cathedral’) stands theremarkable 15-16th C. former Hos-pital de Santa Maria with a squareground plan and design character-istic of the models developed byCatalan Gothic civil architecture.Central courtyard and austerestone façades with a beautifulniche containing a statue of theVirgin at the main entrance. Thebuilding is the home of the Institutd’Estudis Ilerdencs and houses thearchaeological section of theMuseu de Lleida.On a hillock on the outskirts stands Gardeny castle which, fol-lowing the reconquest of Lleida byRamon Berenguer IV (1149), be-came an important command ofthe Knights Templar (later of theKnights Hospitallers). This solidcrenellated building is a fine exam-ple of military architecture and hasa Romanesque church (SantaMaria de Gardeny).

Salardú. Lovely town in the Vald’Aran, capital of the large NautAran borough. Several interest-ing late-Gothic mural paintingshave been recovered (1994-1999)in the Romanesque-Gothic transi-tion parish church of Sant Andreu(12-13th C.), which also contains asplendid Romanesque image ofChrist. The late-16th C. murals fea-ture: Christ Glorified and the fourEvangelists (around the apse); theFathers of the Church (central archof the presbytery); and varioussaints (arches and columns).

Salàs de Pallars. Village in PallarsJussà, where an important equinefair was formerly held. Old quarterwith a medieval atmosphere, sur-rounded by part of the old fortifica-tions, gates and towers and con-taining some handsome mansions.Church with certain Gothic fea-tures.

Santa Coloma de Queralt. Town inConca de Barberà. Capital of theimportant medieval barony of

Queralt. Parts of the 14th C. walls,especially the gates, still stand. Themedieval layout of the old town hassurvived, with charming streets andsquares with archways. There wasonce a large Jewish community.The most noteworthy building isthe parish church of Santa Mariawith a single nave and chapels be-tween the buttresses. Building be-gan in 1331 and the bulk of thework was undertaken in the 14th C.Inside is a stone altarpiece dedicat-ed to Sant Llorenç (1386-7), possi-bly the finest work of the sculptorJordi de Déu. The church of SantaMaria de Bell-lloc, outside thewalls, has some late Romanesquefeatures (such as the doorway, bythe School of Lleida) and othersthat are fully Gothic. Inside is the14th C. tomb of Pere de Queralt andhis wife by Esteve de Burgos andPere Aguilar.

Son. Tiny village in the borough ofAlt Àneu in Pallars Sobirà county,northeast of Aigüestortes i Estanyde Sant Maurici National Park. The

Church of Sant Just i Sant Pastor isa magnificent Romanesque build-ing housing a splendid late-15th C.Gothic altarpiece.

Talavera. Small farming village insouthern Segarra. The church con-tains a 14th C. funeral monumentrepresenting the reclining figures ofa knight in military apparel and alady, probably members of the localnoble family of So.

Tàrrega. Town of considerableeconomic and cultural activitywhere important fairs and marketsare held. Capital of Urgell. Themost noteworthy mansion, the 13th C. palace of the Marquises ofLa Floresta, has a Romanesquefaçade very similar to that of theLleida city hall or Paeria. Inside is abeautiful monumental cross (Creudel Pati, c. 1430), attributed to thesculptor Pere Joan, a replica ofwhich stands in the Plaça Major.Also of interest is the 14th C. churchof Sant Antoni, which once be-longed to the Hospital. The sculp-

Lleida: cloister of the Seu Vella Lleida: Paeria Guimerà

Santa Coloma de Queralt: Santa Maria de Bell-lloc, tomb

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tures on the façade come from theformer parish church.

Torrebesses. Small agricultural vil-lage. The area known as La Viletacontains interesting historic build-ings: large castle-palace with Go-thic features, built at various peri-ods, and mansions with Renais-sance and Gothic elements. In theRomanesque parish church is a14th C. stone altarpiece by theSchool of Lleida dedicated to SaintJohn the Baptist.

Tremp. Capital of Pallars Jussà, inthe centre of the wide Tremp valleythrough which the Noguera Palla-resa flows. Already an impor-tant town in medieval times. In thedays of Peter III the Ceremonious, itwas enclosed in walls. Some of thetowers have survived such as thetower of La Sagristia next to thecollegiate church of Santa Maria.Though still Gothic in style thechurch was built in the 17th C. andis the shrine of a magnificent largelate Gothic statue of the Virgin

(15th C.) with rich gilt and poly-chrome ornamentation (Mare deDéu de Valldeflors).

Vallbona de les Monges. Monas-tery of nuns set in attractive coun-tryside in southern Urgell nearConca de Barberà. Along withPoblet and Santes Creus, it forms atrilogy of major Catalan Cistercianhouses and, like the other two, en-joyed the protection of the Houseof Barcelona. Several interestingbuildings. The 13th C. church is afaithful replica of Cistercian mod-els. The ribbed vaulting and greatlantern similar to that at Pobletwere added at the beginning of thefollowing century. The cloister re-veals a succession of styles, fromthe galleries of semicircular Ro-manesque arches to the ogival win-dows decorated with tracery. Thebest preserved of the surroundingbuildings is the chapter house. Themuseum contains several fineworks of art, especially sculptures:a 14th C. Virgin (Mare de Déu delCor) by Guillem Seguer, another

(Mare de Déu del Claustre), and athird (Mare de Déu de la Mise-ricòrdia, 14th C.), attributed to PereJoan. Also numerous tombs andsarcophagi, belonging to theHouse of Barcelona and other no-ble families, as well as tombstonesof various abbesses.

Verdú. Agricultural village with anestablished tradition for pottery

(black clay pitchers). Formerly alsowell known for its livestock fairs. Thecastle, a large mansion with fortifica-tions from various periods, be-longed to the abbots of Poblet whowere lords of the village and con-tains a beautiful Gothic room. Theparish church reflects the transitionfrom Romanesque to Gothic archi-tecture and contains some fineGothic sculptures. Interesting fea-tures of the façade are the doorwayby the School of Lleida and the rosewindow. In the MEV are two altar-pieces from Verdú, one a excellentwork (143234) by Jaume Ferrer II.

Vielha. Capital of the Val d’Aran, aPyrenean comarca occupying avalley which opens to the west to-wards the Atlantic and has a per-sonality quite different from the restof Catalonia. The language, Ara-nese, is a form of Gascon. Theparish church of Sant Miquèu is intransition style with Gothic ele-ments: beautiful doorway withpointed arches and sculptural dec-oration; bell tower (1510) with thepointed crown that is characteristicof most of the valley’s churches;and, over the high altar, fine 15th C.altarpiece of Sant Miquèu, ananonymous work attributed to the‘Vielha Master’ with links to PereGarcia de Benavarri. The churchalso contains fine Romanesqueworks. In the Musèu dera Vald’Aran are interesting Gothic ex-hibits such as the panels from theVilac altarpiece by the VielhaMaster. Near Vielha, in the boroughof Vielha e Mijaran, is the interest-ing parish church of Betren whichhas a doorway with archivolts simi-lar to that at Vielha (the theme ofboth is the Last Judgment).

Vilanova de Meià. Village inNoguera which was important inmedieval times. The old quarter,with a Gothic gate from the old

walls, has been preserved. Theparish church, built at different peri-ods, has an interesting 14th C.Gothic doorway surmounted bysculptures depicting the Epiphany,as well as other Gothic features(chapels and the base of the belltower). Inside is a polychromesculpture of the Virgin (Mare de Déudel Puig de Meià) which came fromthe old castle.

Vinaixa. Agricultural town inGarrigues. Parish church of SantJoan Baptista in late Romanesquestyle built by R. Piquer, a masterbuilder from Balaguer, at a time(1302-18) when Gothic had be-come widespread throughout Ca-talonia. Single nave, semicircularapse and pointed barrel vault rein-forced by transverse ribs. Finedoorway with molded archivolts,similar to that in the cloister in LaSeu at Lleida. The church oncecontained important altarpiecespainted by Ramon de Mur andBernat Martorell (now in the Dio-cesan Museum of Tarragona andthe MNAC). Fragments of severalsculptures (1340) by Guillem Se-guer are still in the church. Anotherbeautiful Gothic building is theCasa de Poblet (so called becausethe town belonged to themonastery of Poblet). The quarriesin the area provided the materialsused to build parts of Poblet, in-cluding the Palau del Rei Martí.

Vinganya. Former Trinitarianmonastery (Nostra Senyora delsÀngels), the first set up by this or-der in Spain (1201), lying in theSegre valley in the borough ofSeròs at the western tip of theLleida region. Imposing ruins of thelarge Gothic church with its belltower, cloister, and fragments oftombs belonging to the Montcadadynasty and the House of Bar-celona.

Tàrrega

Vallbona de les Monges: vault

Vallbona de les Monges: cloister and great lantern

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a famous silver cross. Further on, across the Muga, in the medieval villageof Peralada, is the Gothic church of the Convent del Carme as well as amagnificent and richly furnished castle which has recently been convertedinto a luxurious casino.

A short drive through flat arable land takes us to Castelló d’Empúries.In the Middle Ages, Castelló was the seat of a powerful and often warlikeearldom, and this accounts for its many fine historic monuments, includingseveral in Gothic style. Our route continues southwards, starting theEmpordà Marshes Natural Park with its rich wild life. Beyond Sant PerePescador and Viladomat, we reach Sant Martí d’Empúries, a quiet villagewith a Gothic church and various other Gothic buildings. Not far off, onthe gently curving shore of the sunny gulf of Roses are some important Greekand Roman excavations.

Still further south, the castle of Bellcaire d’Empordà, rises impressivelyin the centre of the village. In the town of Torroella de Montgrí, our nextstop, there are some remarkable Gothic buildings, while on the outskirts thecrenellated ruins of the castle stand on the summit of the bare, grey moun-tain of Montgrí.

Pals, south of Torroella, has a well preserved medieval quarter. After ad-miring the various monuments, one should leave the upper end of thewalled precinct to enjoy the near-idyllic view from the esplanade of ElPedró over Baix Empordà, the coastline and the Medes islands.

At the entrance to La Bisbal d’Empordà (the one time residence of thebishops of Girona, 4 km from Pals along the main road via Torrent) is aright turn to nearby Vulpellac, where another remarkable castle is situated.Further along the same road we come to Canapost and then to Peratallada,where there are more outstanding medieval monuments with fine Gothicfeatures. Peratallada also has an established reputation for good food.

Returning to Canapost, we turn north to visit the remarkable medievalquarter of Ullastret. From the interesting, well-maintained Iberian exca-vations nearby there is a pleasant view over the old lake. Beyond Ultramortwe come to the village of Verges, partly encircled by walls with picturesquetowers. In Holy Week an ancient and intriguing procession, including aDansa de la Mort (‘dance of death’), takes place in the streets.

From Verges, heading towards Girona, we can visit Púbol castle, nearRupià, made famous by Dalí and Gala to round off our Gothic tourthrough Girona.

Main historicbuildingsBanyoles. Town set amid beautifulscenery near the large lake towhich it gives its name. Tourist re-sort and nautical sports centre. TheBenedictine monastery of SantEsteve, around which the towngrew up, preserves part of the oldGothic buildings. Of special note isan altarpiece (1437-39) dedicatedto the Virgin (Mare de Déu del’Escala), one of the finest Catalanworks in international Gothic style,painted by Joan Antigó (the ‘Ba-nyoles Master’). It formerly con-tained the splendid casket of SantMartirià which was badly damagedin the theft of silver saint statues in1980. Other Gothic buildings of in-terest are the church of Santa Mariadels Turers and the Pia Almoinawhich now houses the MuseuArqueològic Comarcal. The former,built between 1269 and 1333, origi-nally had a single nave with apolygonal chevet though sideaisles were added later. The laterhas a fine 14th C. cloister.

Bellcaire d’Empordà. Small townin Empordà where the Counts ofEmpúries resided from the end ofthe 13th C. to 1322. Castle palacebuilt by Ponç V (c. 1300) on asquare ground plan with towers atthe corners and the chapel juttingout, which is extremely simple. Onthe edge of the town is the originalRomanesque parish church of SantJoan, a very interesting building.

Besalú. Village which was the cen-tre of an independent earldom inthe high Middle Ages (912th C.) andhas preserved many fine historicbuildings, most of them Roma-nesque. The Gothic bridge over theFluvià, built in the 14th C. on top ofan earlier structure, is one of theforemost Catalan medieval bridges.Some of the eight arches havebeen restored and it is reinforcedby solid defensive structures. Theonly church with Gothic elements isSant Vicenç but there are several13-14th C. mansions. Part of theJewish synagogue and baths (mik-wé) have also survived.

La Bisbal d’Empordà. Pottery ma-nufacturing capital of Baix Em-pordà with a busy market. Thename recalls the links with the Bi-shops (‘bisbes’) of Girona who gov-erned it. They resided in the castlepalace which has some Ro-manesque and some Gothic fea-tures (notably 14th C. buildingssuch as the keep). The outside was

From Girona To Empordà via the Fluvià

ValleyThe attractions of this quiet and

pleasant route are many: the gentlyrolling countryside where the hous-es blend into the scenery; the rarityof greens, ranging from the lush,brilliant hues of the natural vegeta-tion to the paler shades of the crops;and the ever-present yet distantbackcloth of the Pyrenees.

Our first visit is to the Gothicfeatures of the major monuments inGirona. Next we travel along theTer valley to Sarrià before takingthe pleasant road to Banyoles, thecapital of Pla de l’Estany, which of-fers both a good selection of Gothicworks of art and a nearby lake, thebeauty of whose calm waters is ad-mirably set off by the surroundingvegetation.

The winding road westwards toMieres enters Garrotxa, running along the foot of the Finestres hills to thecaptivating medieval village of Santa Pau. Gothic art is not the only rea-son for choosing this route to Besalú via Santa Pau: it also takes us throughOlot and the surrounding area, where the attractive scenery inspired awell-known school of landscape artists. The road down the Fluvià river toBesalú affords the opportunity to see one of the most spectacular bridges inCatalonia, as well as other works of Gothic art.

Not far away are the alabaster quarries at Beuda, which were workedfrom the 14th C. onwards and supplied the raw materials for many, greatGothic works. We continue across the pleasant Empordà plain to Figueres,the capital of Alt Empordà. The Gothic works here are few but of highquality and Figueres has other attractions such as a dynamic cultural life,an interesting Museu Comarcal, and the surrealist Dalí Theatre andMuseum which draw large numbers of visitors.

Within a radius of 5 km north east of Figueres are two very interestingspots. The first is Vilabertran, which has several remarkable buildings and

Missal of Sant Cugat (1400)

Peralada: cloister of the convent of El Carme

Besalú

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remodelled in the 16th C. A gatefrom the walls built between 1280and 1302 also stands. Some of themansions in the old quarter haveGothic style windows and otherfeatures and there is a Gothicbridge (Pont Vell) over the Daró riv-er which was renovated in 1606.

Castelló d’Empúries. Town closeto the central part of the gulf ofRoses coastline, lying amid marsh-land at the mouths of the Muga andFluvià rivers. Capital of the earldomof Empúries from the 11th to the 14th C. and important trading centre.The magnificent basilica of SantaMaria (known as the ‘Cathedral ofEmpordà’) was built as part of thecounts’ unsuccessful attempt toestablish a bishopric here. Thoughwork started in the early 14th C. (thehigh altar was consecrated in 1316),at the beginning of the 15th C. the façade was still not finished.Noteworthy features include: thesculptures on the doorway and thetympanum (the Epiphany and theApostles), attributed to Pere de

Sant Joan; the cylindrical pillarsalong the nave (unusual in CatalanGothic architecture), and the beau-tiful but unfinished alabaster highaltar (1485) by Vicenç Borràs. Thechurch possessed other works ofart, including those in the small ad-joining museum and the magnifi-cent mid15th C. altarpiece of SantMiquel by the so-called ‘Castellód’Empúries Master’ (MAG). One ofthe chapels contains the 14th C.tombs of the Counts of Empúries.Beside the church are the remainsof a large openair trade exchange.Other Gothic buildings and featuresin the town include the old Llotja deMar (‘maritime trade exchange’,now the town hall), the Casa Gran,and the sevenarched bridge (PontVell) over the Muga built in the 14th C. and renovated in the 15th C.

Figueres. Modern capital of Em-pordà, active economic and cultur-al centre which was a hotbed of re-publican and federalist ideas in the19th C. The layout and buildings arebasically 19th and 20th C. The parish

church of Sant Pere, the only note-worthy Gothic building, has a singlenave and chapels between the but-tresses. Building started in 1378 atthe instigation of Peter III theCeremonious. The sanctuary andbell tower are neo-Gothic additions.Figueres is also the home of the fa-mous Museu-Teatre Dalí, Museu delJoguet and Museu de l’Empordà.

Girona. Important city which wasonce the centre of one of the greatmedieval Catalan earldoms and ofa powerful diocese. Its long historyhas left a rich heritage and the oldcity is a veritable museum of me-dieval architecture.The present Cathedral, which re-placed the earlier Romanesquebuilding, was begun around 1312.Though the original plans providedfor three aisles, only one was built(the widest Gothic nave in Europe,22,9 m), a clear illustration of thepreference of Catalan Gothic archi-tects for large, unified spaces (thetechnical difficulties of building itgave rise to meetings of architects

from all over Catalonia in 1386 and1416). Inside are several interestingworks such as the 14th C. silver andenamel altarpiece and baldachinover the high altar on which PereBernès worked, the finest creationof medieval Catalan silversmiths;several noteworthy tombs of bish-ops (eg. Bernat de Pau) and countsof Barcelona (Ramon Berenguer IIand Ermessenda, made by GuillemMorell in 1385); lovely stained glasswindows; tombs in the Roma-nesque cloister where there is alsoa late 13th C. group of sculptures(Mare de Déu de Bell Ull) by MasterBartomeu. The cloister, the magnif-icent bell tower and various otherfeatures are Romanesque, whilethe main façade is Baroque. Thereis an important museum (Tresor dela Catedral).Leaving the Cathedral by the Portadels Apòstols, we come to the largeBishop’s Palace —now the Museud’Art de Girona— part of which isGothic (throne room) and partRenaissance. Further on, alongsidethe La Pera stairs, is the Casa de laPabordia. Near the big staircase onthe Plaça de la Catedral is a large15th C. mansion, the Pia Almoina,which housed a medieval charita-ble institution. The Call or Jewishquarter, the home till the Jews wereexpelled in 1492 of one of the largestand most active communities inCatalonia, was situated on theCarrer de la Força which opensonto the same square. It seems thatthe synagogue was located in thepresent Centre Bonastruc ÇaPorta.

Beyond the Sobreportes gate onthe other side of the Cathedral isthe handsome church of SantFeliu, a former monastery of canonsand collegiate church, built in sev-eral stages. The fine apse andcharacteristic truncated bell tower(crowned in the 16th C.) areGothic, as is the vaulting inside,though the ground plan isRomanesque. Inside is a superbreclining figure of Christ (1350) byMaster Aloi and the Gothic tombof Sant Narcís which was made atthe beginning of the 14th C. just af-ter the famous miracle of the fliesduring the French invasion. Amongthe many interesting items insidethe church is a collection of earlyChristian sarcophagi (3-4th C.) em-bedded in the chancel.Near the city walls, south of theCathedral, is the remarkable Conventof Sant Domènec. The Gothicchurch, consecrated in 1339, has asingle nave and a Gothic cloisterwith columns and capitals madeby sculptors from Girona from spe-cial nummulitic stone whose usesubsequently spread throughoutCatalonia. The convent and theneighbouring Àligues building arenow part of the Universitat deGirona. The walls which protectedthe city during the historic sieges itsuffered contain medieval fea-tures, especially in the upper part.Peter III the Ceremonious hadthem reinforced in 1362 and thework was not completed till the endof the century, when the Cornèliatower was built. The Gironella tow-er dates from 1412.

Girona: altarpiece and canopy of the Cathedral

Girona: single nave of the Cathedral

Girona: street in the Jewish quarter Girona: said statue of Sant Carlemany. MCCG Girona: Pia Almoina

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The Carrer dels Ciutadans, whichwas the most elegant of the mainstreets in medieval Girona, waslined by large mansions, the mostremarkable of which are the Fon-tana d’Or (built on Romanesquefoundations and well restored) andthe much altered Casa de la Ciutat(‘town hall’) on the Plaça del Vi withits medievaltype archways. Othermansions restored or built in Re-naissance or Baroque times still re-veal late Gothic features and bywalking through Old Girona onediscovers many spots with a me-dieval atmosphere.

Pals. Village in attractive scenerynear the mouth of the Ter betweenthe ranges of Montgrí and Begur.The well preserved old quarter hasa distinctly medieval air. It is encir-cled by remarkable walls and themost noteworthy features are thetower of the old castle (Torre de lesHores), the church (mostly 15th C.despite its simplicity), and a num-ber of mansions and characteristi-cally medieval spots.

Peralada. Village with a rich her-itage derived from its long history. Itcontains places and buildings ofconsiderable beauty, including thePlaça Major, where it is believedthat the great chronicler RamonMuntaner was born in 1265. Thecastle was much altered in the 16th C. when it was converted into aprivate residence. However, somemedieval features were preserved(the 13-14th C. bases of the towersand the walls on the northern side).It was enlarged at the end of the19th C. and given a totally Frenchappearance and now houses acasino. Of great interest is theConvent of El Carme, built from1347 onwards to replace the origi-nal building outside the walls. Thechurch corresponds to a designwhich Catalan Gothic architecturedeveloped with originality: a singlenave, polygonal chevet and wood-en roof resting on diaphragm arch-es. The cloister is from the sameperiod. The Convent houses a mu-seum which possesses importantcollections of glass, ceramics andpaintings, as well as items ofGothic sculpture. A splendid silvercross is preserved in the parishchurch.

Peratallada. Village containing oneof the most important and noble-looking groups of medieval monu-ments in Empordà, once the prop-erty of the Cruïlles family. Most ofthe foremost buildings date fromthe 12-14th C. The church, outsidethe walls, is Romanesque. The cas-tle has 12-13th C. elements while

parts of the adjoining castle, suchas the large windows in the façade,are more markedly Gothic in style.There are a number of interestingmansions and the three walled en-closures which formerly protectedthe village are in a good state ofconservation.

Púbol. Small Baix Empordà villagein the borough of La Pera, near LaBisbal. Magnificent Gothic-Renais-sance palace, which the painterSalvador Dalí converted and deco-rated according to his own extrava-gant style and gave as a gift to hiswife Gala (who was buried in thecrypt in 1982). Open to the publicsince 1996 under the name of theGala-Dalí Castle, this is, along withCadaqués and Figueres, a keypoint on the Dalí Route. The chapelwas formerly adorned by an impor-tant altarpiece by the painter Ber-nat Martorell, now in the Museud’Art de Girona.

Sant Martí d’Empúries. Small vil-lage with a medieval appearancelocated on a rocky headland thatwas once an island to the north ofL’Escala. Further south lie the fa-mous Greek and Roman ruins ofEmpúries. Capital of the earldom ofEmpúries in the high Middle Ages(9-11th C.) until replaced by Castellód’Empúries, it remained a fortressand was sacked and destroyed invarious wars, notably in 1468. Alarge part of the old walls and thecastle have been preserved, as hasa fine church (150738) in full Gothicstyle.

Santa Pau. Village in the volcanicregion of Olot, in an area of greatgeological interest and naturalbeauty (Jordà beech wood). Thebuildings in the Vila Vella (‘oldtown’) evoke medieval times, espe-cially the pretty square with arch-ways, known as the Firal dels Bous.The main building is the 13-14th C.

castle, now much altered. Thechurch was built between 1427 and 1430.

Torroella de Montgrí. Close to theEmpordà coast at the foot of theMontgrí mountains. One of themost important towns in the area inthe Middle Ages, it has preservedseveral historic buildings. Thehandsome Gothic parish church,was built during the first decades ofthe 14th C., though the vaults werenot finished till around 1600. It hasa single nave and chapels betweenthe buttresses. Beside it is the for-mer much restored royal palace,known as El Mirador, with a Gothicgallery. There are also remains ofthe walls and old mansions withGothic and Renaissance features.Towering above the town, on top ofthe Muntanya de Santa Caterina, isMontgrí castle, an imposing but un-finished fortress with solid, regular-ly shaped outside walls. James II

had it built in 1294 in a show offorce against the rebellious Countof Empúries, but it was abandonednot long after.

Ullastret. Village which has con-served all the charm of the MiddleAges. It is also famous for thenearby Iberian settlement of Ullas-tret, one of the most interestingIberian archaeological sites inCatalonia, which has been well ex-cavated and has a small museum.A large part of the village wallshave been preserved along with13-14th C. defensive structures de-signed to protect the castle, ofwhich nothing remains. Some ofthe houses which clustered aroundits base still have fine Gothic andRenaissance windows. The 14th C.Gothic trade exchange, where fairsand markets were held, is also ofspecial interest.

Verges. Village in Empordà where afamous Dance of Death has beenperformed from time immemorialduring the Holy Week procession.Large parts of the medieval walls,towers and other reinforcementshave been preserved.

Vilabertran. Former Augustinianmonastery of canons of SantaMaria de Vilabertran, comprisingvarious historic buildings, most ofthem Romanesque. The weddingof James II and Blanche of Anjouwas held here in 1295. Among theguests were Charles II of Naples,the father of the bride, and his chil-dren (who included the future SaintLouis of Toulouse) as well as manyother personalities. The chroniclerMuntaner relates that “the jewelswere great which they gave to eachother” and it is probable that theexceptional silver cross —one ofthe best preserved in Catalonia—now in one of the chapels in thechurch, is related to this exchangeof gifts. The unfinished doorway isGothic, as is the funeral chapel ofthe Viscounts of Rocabertí. Themagnificent abbot’s palace and thefortifications were built by abbotGirgós (1410-31).

Vulpellac. Interesting small townon the Empordà plain near LaBisbal. The most remarkablebuilding is the mostly 14th C. cas-tle which was converted into apalace in the 16th C. Inside is alarge room with a ceiling restingon diaphragm arches (it once hadfine coffering) while outside thereare mullioned windows. Next tothe palace is the parish church,built during 16th C. renovationwork, with late Gothic andRenaissance features.

Vilabertran: silver cross Figueres: church of Sant Pere Peratallada Pals

Santa Pau: Firal dels Bous Castle of Torroella de Montgrí

Castelló d’Empúries: basilica of Santa Maria

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BarcelonaMuseu Nacional d’Art de Ca-talunya (MNAC). Palau Nacional deMontjuïc. Representative collectionof Catalan Gothic paintings as wellas fine examples from elsewhere inSpain. The most outstanding paint-ings in linear Gothic style includethose from Barcelona depicting theconquest of Majorca and those bythe Soriguerola master. Significantpaintings from the period of Italianinfluence are by the master fromBaltimore and members of the Serrafamily (altarpieces of Sixena, Gualterand Tortosa). The selection of inter-national Gothic paintings beginswith Lluís Borrassà (altarpiece ofSantes Creus), continues with JoanMates (Sant Sebastià), BernatMartorell (altarpiece of Sant Vicenç),Jaume Ferrer II and others, and cul-minates with a good selection ofworks by Jaume Huguet (Sant Jordi,altarpieces of Vallmoll, Sarrià, SantAgustí and Revenedors). There arealso works by Lluís Dalmau (altar-piece of Consellers), BartoloméBermejo, the master from La Seud’Urgell and others. Of particular in-terest in the collection of sculpturesare: Sant Esteve from Tredòs, altar-piece of Gerb, Mare de Déu ofSallent de Sanaüja, a magnificent15th C. bust of a woman, and SantAntoni de la Figuera (attributed to J.Cascalls).

VicMuseu Episcopal (MEV). The mostrepresentative exhibits in theGothic sculpture section are the al-tarpiece of Sant Joan de lesAbadesses by Bernat Saulet (1341)and Mare de Déu dels Boixadors(14th C.). The collections of paint-ings contain works by the greatCatalan Gothic masters: Arnau andFerrer Bassa (altarpiece of SantBernat), Pere Serra, the Rubió mas-ter, Lluís Borrassà (altarpiece ofSanta Clara), Ramon de Mur (altar-piece of Guimerà), Jaume Cabrera(Virgin with angel musicians),Bernat Martorell (altarpiece ofSanta Eulàlia i Sant Joan), JaumeFerrer II (altarpiece of Verdú),Jaume Huguet (small altarpiece ofthe Epiphany) and many others.The decorative arts section is alsowell worth visiting.

GironaMuseu d’Art (MAG). Well fitted out,in the Palau Episcopal. Noteworthyexhibits include: Calvary by masterBartomeu (13th C.); Martyry ofPoblet, with beautiful miniatures;the 14th C. tomb of Jofre Gilabert deCruïlles; the extremely rare 14th C.glass maker’s table, and majorworks by Bernat Martorell (altar-piece of Púbol, with the drawings hemade on the reverse side) and LluísBorrassà (altarpiece of Cruïlles), aswell as the altarpieces of Castellód’Empúries and Canapost.

Tresor de la Catedral (TCG). Con-tains a magnificent selection ofworks including the Bishop’s Chair,by master Aloi (1355), the said stat-ue of Sant Carlemany (attributed toJaume Cascalls), 15th C. figuresfrom the tomb of Bernat de Pau,enamel cross by the silversmithPere Bernés, embroideries, andpaintings by Ramon Solà.

SolsonaMuseu Diocesà i Comarcal(MDCS). In the Palau Episcopal.The Gothic art section includesamong the most significant exhibitsthe murals from Cardona, LluísBorrassà’s Crucifixion, panels byPere Vall, the important Last Supperby Jaume Ferrer I, and the tomb ofHug de Copons. Also fine works iniron and other metals.

LleidaMuseu de Lleida Diocesà iComarcal (MLDC). The most out-standing Gothic pieces here in-clude the Lleida School altar-pieces, such as those fromCastelló de Farfanya and Corbins,the paintings from the refectory atthe Seu Vella and the Albatàrrec al-tarpiece and other works by JaumeFerrer I.

Other museumsIn Barcelona other important worksof Gothic art, especially sculptures,are in the Museu Marès near thePalau Reial Major, while the impor-tant collection belonging to theMuseu de Ceràmica is at the Palaude Pedralbes. The Museu Diocesàde Barcelona is housed in the PiaAlmoina building near the Cathe-

dral. At the Museu Diocesà de Tarra-gona a significant part of the largecollection is on show. The MuseuDiocesà d’Urgell contains, amongother works, the fine altarpiece ofAbella de la Conca, while in the twomuseums at Martorell there are im-portant collections of ceramics, in-cluding some good medieval works.

© Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa. Turisme deCatalunya. Prepared by: Servei d’Informació i Difusió Turística. Text: Josep Bracons i Clapésand Francesc Gurri i Serra. Design by: Saura-Torrente. Translated by: Jacqueline Hall.Photographs: Archives of Departament d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, T. Vidal, R. Manent,F. Gomà, J. Mercader, F. Bedmar, Pérez Reus, J. Tous, J. Pareto P. Català and ManéEspinosa/Museu de Sant Cugat. The Missal of Sant Cugat is in the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó, inBarcelona. Printed by: Rotocayfo Quebercor. D.L.: B-32079-2008. Printed in EU

Generalitat de CatalunyaGovernment of CataloniaMinistry of Innovation,Universities and Enterprise

Museums

Wall painting of the Pia Almoina. MLDC Ramon de Mur: altarpiece of Guimerà. MEV Jaume Ferrer I: Last Supper. MDCS

Lluís Dalmau: altarpiece of Consellers. MNAC

Bernat Martorell: altarpiece of Púbol. MAG

Lluís Borrassà: altarpiece of Cruïlles. MAG

Jaume Huguet: triptych of Sant Jordi (detail). MNAC

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