Since the 24th of January, visitors to Tarragona Cathedral can enjoy a new museum service, namely the Archaeological Route that takes them back 2,000 years around the great perimeter wall of the site that was already a place of worship in the times of imperial Tarraco, located behind the medieval chapels of the cloister, around the basement of the Canon House.
This archaeological service, promoted by the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC) and the Diocesan Museum of Tarragona, has been supported by the Cathedral Chapter, the Department of Culture of the Catalan government, Tarragona City Council, Rovira i Virgili University, Repsol and the Mútua Catalana Private Foundation. This new tour, which takes the perimeter wall as its reference point and begins in room 1 of the Museum, behind the old refectory, helps to "explain how the very physiognomy of the medieval city of Tarragona can tell us more about the Roman city of Tarraco", says ICAC researcher Josep Maria Macias.
In this respect, the route "unites the entire Diocesan Museum, complementing the Museum's story of Christian art and culture with an archaeological route that brings this historical diachrony to life in the very structure of the building", explains the Director of the Diocesan Museum of Tarragona, Andreu Muñoz. The route provides visitors with a tour "through the Roman areas of the perimeter wall around the imperial religious site, helping them to understand how it served as a basis for creating the medieval project of the Cathedral, as well as the architectural elements that have been added since the Renaissance period".
Moreover, both agree that the area around the Cathedral "is the best place to discover the history of Tarragona", pointing out that "it's the greatest piece of engineering ever carried out throughout the history of the city".
