Catedral de Girona (Girona Cathedral), Girona (must see)
Resting on one of Girona鈥檚 high points, the Girona Cathedral doesn鈥檛 so much sit in the skyline as command it. The climb begins with that wide baroque staircase鈥攇rand enough to feel ceremonial before you鈥檝e even crossed the threshold.
The story of this cathedral stretches across seven centuries of construction, from the 11th to the 18th, leaving behind an architectural mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque. The earliest layer survives in the cloister and Charlemagne Tower, but the main piece arrived in the 14th century: a single Gothic nave, seventy-five feet across. It鈥檚 the widest Gothic nave in the world, and second only to St. Peter鈥檚 in Rome for sheer span鈥攁n audacious feat of stone engineering. By the 18th century, the baroque fa莽ade sealed the building鈥檚 imposing look.
Step inside, and the contrasts play out in stained glass light, a silver-and-gem altarpiece, and side chapels that balance solemnity with flourish. The bell tower rises with clock and belfry, while the Romanesque cloister to the north, with its trapezoid plan and double columns, gives you a glimpse into an older, quieter rhythm of devotion.
The real treasures sit in the cathedral鈥檚 museum: the Tapestry of Creation, a masterpiece of embroidery from the 11th or 12th century; the illuminated Gerona Beatus manuscript from the 10th; and a silver casket crafted for the Caliph Hisham II. Together, they weave a timeline of faith, artistry, and power.
And if the staircase looks familiar鈥攊t鈥檚 because HBO鈥檚 Game of Thrones turned it into the Great Sept of Baelor. Girona Cathedral has been playing host to drama for a thousand years; the cameras were just a bit late to the party.
The story of this cathedral stretches across seven centuries of construction, from the 11th to the 18th, leaving behind an architectural mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque. The earliest layer survives in the cloister and Charlemagne Tower, but the main piece arrived in the 14th century: a single Gothic nave, seventy-five feet across. It鈥檚 the widest Gothic nave in the world, and second only to St. Peter鈥檚 in Rome for sheer span鈥攁n audacious feat of stone engineering. By the 18th century, the baroque fa莽ade sealed the building鈥檚 imposing look.
Step inside, and the contrasts play out in stained glass light, a silver-and-gem altarpiece, and side chapels that balance solemnity with flourish. The bell tower rises with clock and belfry, while the Romanesque cloister to the north, with its trapezoid plan and double columns, gives you a glimpse into an older, quieter rhythm of devotion.
The real treasures sit in the cathedral鈥檚 museum: the Tapestry of Creation, a masterpiece of embroidery from the 11th or 12th century; the illuminated Gerona Beatus manuscript from the 10th; and a silver casket crafted for the Caliph Hisham II. Together, they weave a timeline of faith, artistry, and power.
And if the staircase looks familiar鈥攊t鈥檚 because HBO鈥檚 Game of Thrones turned it into the Great Sept of Baelor. Girona Cathedral has been playing host to drama for a thousand years; the cameras were just a bit late to the party.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Girona. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Catedral de Girona (Girona Cathedral) on Map
Sight Name: Catedral de Girona (Girona Cathedral)
Sight Location: Girona, Spain (See walking tours in Girona)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Girona, Spain (See walking tours in Girona)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Girona, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Girona
Creating your own self-guided walk in Girona is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Girona Introduction Walking Tour
Girona sits in northeastern Catalonia, where every cobblestone seems to gossip about old allegiances and bitter defeats. Long before tourist maps and cafe terraces, Iberian tribes pitched up here in the 6th century BC. The Romans soon followed, stamping the place with the name Gerunda鈥斺�渘ear the river鈥濃�攁 practical nod to the Onyar River, which still slices the city neatly into old and new.
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
Game of Thrones Film Sites in Girona
Let鈥檚 do a visualization exercise: Girona鈥檚 medieval quarter, with its stone staircases and cloistered courtyards, suddenly posing as Westeros. Between 2011 and 2019, HBO鈥檚 Game of Thrones roamed Europe in search of backdrops, and Girona ticked all the boxes鈥擱omanesque towers, Gothic facades, and narrow alleys that looked like they鈥檇 been waiting centuries for a camera crew. The city... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles