The Metropolitan Basilica and Primatial Cathedral of Santa Tecla, more popularly known as Tarragona Cathedral , began to be built in 1171 and was consecrated in 1331 when it was still unfinished. The Cathedral, with a Latin cross floor plan, measures more than a hundred metres in length and contains a large marble cloister and almost 300 historiated capitals, making it one of the most impressive Romanesque cathedrals of the time on the Iberian Peninsula.
With a design that’s halfway between Romanesque and Gothic, it’s located in the Part Alta, the old quarter of Tarragona, on the site of the Temple of Augustus, the seat of Roman imperial worship. This site was later transformed into a Visigoth cathedral and, after a hiatus during the Islamic period, it once again became a place for Christian worship in the early 12th century. It has therefore been a witness of and protagonist in the history of Tarragona and Catalonia for more than 2,000 years, with Roman, Visigoth, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical traces within its walls.
Tarragona Cathedral is also home to the Diocesan Museum of Tarragona, a centuries-old cultural institution that houses the vast collection of art and archaeology of the Archdiocese, with pieces as unique as the funerary monument of the charioteer Eutyches, an idol for Tarragona's fans of chariot racing, and the delicate beauty of the Annunciation by Jaume Huguet, a jewel of the Gothic Art Gallery.
Interesting facts about the Cathedral
Did you know that Tarragona Cathedral has the largest rose window in Catalonia? This huge circular stained glass window eleven metres in diameter that presides over the main Gothic façade is decorated with a sun surrounded by stars, representing the divine light that illuminates the faithful.
The organ, located on one side of the central nave of the basilica, was built in the 16th century at the height of the Renaissance and is decorated with medallions and a large number of putti or cherubs. Of note are the hangings, the doors to the organ, decorated with enormous Mannerist canvases by the Italian painter Pietro Paolo da Montalbergo.
Construction of the cloister of Tarragona Cathedral began in the mid-12th century in the late Romanesque style with certain influences from Andalusian art, especially in the tracery of the oculi and the frieze of polylobed arches. The capitals are full of iconography, designed to transmit knowledge to an illiterate population.
One of the Cathedral's best-kept secrets is its Treasury, where relics and liturgical gold and silverware are kept. But the real treasure can be discovered by looking up, as a magnificent Mudejar coffered ceiling covers the entire ceiling. This is decorated with heraldic coats of arms, geometric and plant motifs and curious scenes of musicians and dancers, both human… and non-human.
Did you know that James I the Conqueror was buried in the Cathedral for a hundred years? The royal pantheon for the kings and queens of Aragon was in the monastery of Poblet, near Tarragona, but in 1835 the Spanish state expropriated and abandoned the monument, today considered a World Heritage Site. To preserve the royal remains, they were transferred to Tarragona. At the beginning of the 20th century, the great Modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner was commissioned to design two large monuments in keeping with the historical importance of the figures but, due to various disagreements, the project was halted when the first tomb, destined for the conquering king, was almost finished. In 1952, Poblet was restored and the royal remains returned to their original resting place. The royal pantheon of Tarragona was dismantled and forgotten until 1992, when it was recovered and can now be seen in the Patio de Jaume I of the Municipal Palace.
A legendary candelabrum in the Cathedral inspired a work by Verdaguer. From the ceiling of the central nave, near the Gothic dome, hangs an ancient candelabrum called Salomonet de les Matines. Legend has it that, one Christmas night, some fishermen from the city were trapped in the middle of a great storm and, since there were no lighthouses at the time, they became disoriented in the darkness. Midnight Mass was being celebrated in the Cathedral and, just when the sailors had lost all hope, the acolyte lit the candles of the Salomonet and its light filtered through the rose window on the main façade, which faces the harbour. The boat's crew saw the ray of light in the darkness and, heading towards it, found the quay, saved themselves from certain death and ran to the Cathedral to tell of the miracle. Years later, the great poet Jacint Verdaguer recorded the story in his Rondalles.
The Diocesan Museum houses the tomb of a star racer from Roman times. Charioteers were undoubtedly the sports idols of the people of Tarraco, even more so than gladiators. Two of them are renowned in the city and the tomb of one of them, called Eutyches, is preserved in the archaeological collection of the Diocesan Museum. As he was a slave, the tomb was dedicated to him by his masters and he’s depicted wearing the typical uniform of the charioteers. He holds a palm in his hand, a symbol of victory for the Romans. A long inscription explains his tragic story: just when, at the age of twenty-two, he had been promoted from two-horse to four-horse chariots, a strange illness took him far from the glory of the Circus to the laments of his faithful fans.