It is a Gothic building located in the English city of York. It is one of the largest medieval temples in northern Europe. The chair of the head of the city's ecclesiastical province is located here.

The cathedral is located on the very spot where King Edwin of Northumbria was baptized. The construction of the temple began in 1220 and lasted for 250 years. In 1472 the temple was consecrated.

The total length of the cathedral is about 160 meters, the height is about 60 meters. The nave of York Minster is the widest Gothic nave in England.

The most ancient parts of the cathedral are the southern and northern transept. The north one contains the famous windows, and the south transept is decorated with a huge round window with a figured frame in the form of a blossoming flower or a star. Its stained glass windows depict the union of the royal houses of Lancaster and York. The huge East Window, created at the beginning of the 15th century, is the largest medieval stained glass window in the world.

In the center of the cathedral there is a large and beautiful organ, which was erected in the 15th century. Next to him are statues of the fifteen kings of England, from William I to Henry VI.

The cathedral houses the Astronomical Clock, which was installed in 1955 in memory of the English pilots who died during the Second World War. The clock shows not only the time, but also the location of the sun and some stars.

In the temple building there is a sculpture of the Bishop of York Matthew Hutton, who lived in 1529–1606.

Under the cathedral building there are crypts that remain from the ancient Saxon buildings that stood on this site. It is also possible to see the foundations of an old Anglo-Saxon temple, on the site of which the modern cathedral stands. The sculptures in the crypt were created around 1100. At first they were placed outside on the western towers of the cathedral, then, due to their poor condition, they were moved inside.

Next to the cathedral there is a sculpture of the emperor Constantine the Great. At the time of Constantine’s proclamation as emperor, his regiment was in the city. And on the site where this historical event took place, York Cathedral was later built. In honor of this event, many centuries later a monument was erected.

ABOUT One of the most famous cathedrals of the Northern capital began to be built under Peter I, and was completed under Alexander II. It was solemnly consecrated on June 11, 1858. Its history, which dates back almost from the founding of the Northern capital, is full of unexpected turns and mysterious myths...

Prophecy Fulfilled

More than one architect had a hand in the construction of the cathedral, but the biggest contribution to the construction of the temple was made by the Frenchman Auguste Montferrand.


By 1761, the Church of St. Isaac of Dolmatsky had already been rebuilt twice - once in wood, the second in stone. However, the ground began to sag under the stone building, and the new construction manager, Savva Chevakinsky, had to build the church according to new drawings and in a new location. But preparations were delayed, and the architect soon resigned.

His place was taken by Antonio Rinaldi, and the ceremonial foundation of the cathedral took place only in 1768. Rinaldi supervised the construction until the death of Catherine II, and after that he went abroad. The building was erected only up to the cornice. At the direction of Paul I, Vincenzo Brenna took on the cathedral, but unsuccessfully changed the design - as a result, the brick walls rose on a marble base.

Under Alexander I, a competition for its ennoblement was held twice: in 1809 and 1813. All the architects suggested simply demolishing it and building a new one, so the emperor commissioned engineer Augustine Betancourt to take on the cathedral reconstruction project personally. He entrusted this task to the young architect Auguste Montferrand.


Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand - architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral

The new cathedral was laid in 1819, but Montferrand had to finalize the project for another six years. Construction dragged on for almost forty years, which gave rise to rumors about a certain prediction that the architect received from a clairvoyant. Allegedly, the sorcerer prophesied to him that he would die as soon as he completed the cathedral. And indeed, a month after the consecration ceremony of the cathedral, the architect died.

Another legend says that Alexander II noticed among the sculptures of saints bowing to Isaac of Dolmatia, Montferrand himself holding his head straight. Noting the architect’s pride, the emperor allegedly did not shake his hand or thank him for his work, which is why he became upset, fell ill and died.

In fact, Montferrand died from an acute attack of rheumatism that occurred after suffering from pneumonia. He bequeathed to bury himself in St. Isaac's Cathedral, but the emperor did not consent to this. Montferrand's widow took the architect's body to Paris, where he was buried in the Montmartre cemetery. A marble bust of the architect is installed inside the cathedral.

Missing piles

To this day, the cathedral is called not only an artistic, but also an engineering masterpiece - it seemed impossible to place such a heavy building on an unsteady, swampy place, but at the cost of enormous efforts, the builders ensured that it would take root in the center of St. Petersburg for centuries.

For construction, it was necessary to drive 10,762 piles into the base of the foundation. This took five years, and in the end the townspeople began to joke about this - they say that they somehow drove a pile, and it completely went underground. They scored the second one - and there was no sign of it. The third, fourth, and so on, until a letter arrived from New York: “You ruined our pavement! At the end of the log sticking out of the ground is the stamp of the St. Petersburg timber exchange “Gromov and Co!”

St. Isaac's Cathedral today is the fourth largest in the world, its weight is 300 thousand tons, and its height is 101.5 meters. Isaac's Colonnade remains the highest observation deck in the city center.

The pledge of Romanov power

The incredibly protracted construction of the cathedral could not help but give rise to a lot of speculation and rumors; it seemed to everyone that there was something mysterious in this long-term construction, like in the veil that Penelope wove for Odysseus and secretly unraveled.

The cathedral, founded in 1819, was completed only in 1858, but even after its consecration the temple was constantly in need of repairs and improvements; the scaffolding stood undismantled for many years.


View of St. Isaac's Cathedral in the forests

As a result, a legend was born that as long as the forests stand, the Romanov dynasty rules. It was also agreed that the royal treasury allocated funds for all the finishing touches. The scaffolding was finally removed from St. Isaac's Cathedral for the first time in 1916, shortly before Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne in March 1917.

Another myth says that the angels on the facades of St. Isaac's Cathedral have the faces of members of the imperial family.

The cathedral is leaving

The incredible weight of the cathedral struck the imagination of contemporaries no less than it strikes us today. St. Isaac's Cathedral is the heaviest building in St. Petersburg. Many times it was predicted to collapse, but despite everything it still holds on.


One of the urban legends says that the famous joker, one of the creators of the image of Kozma Prutkov, Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov, one night changed into the uniform of an aide-de-camp and visited all the leading metropolitan architects with the order “to report to the palace in the morning due to the fact that St. Isaac’s Cathedral has failed.” It is easy to imagine the panic this announcement caused.

However, the legend that St. Isaac's Cathedral is gradually and imperceptibly sagging under its own weight is still alive.

Temple for export

Another strange rumor about the cathedral appeared already in the 1930s, when the Soviet Union, amid industrialization and collectivization, was gripped by famine. At the same time, grain exports to the West increased, and they began to say that the country was selling abroad not only products, but also museum valuables: paintings, icons, antiques.


A rumor spread in Leningrad that the Americans, who admired the beauty of St. Isaac's Cathedral, expressed their readiness to buy the building, which reminded them of the Capitol. To do this, it allegedly had to be disassembled and transported piece by piece on ships to the United States, and then reassembled there.

As a payment, the Americans, as legend has it, promised to asphalt all the cobblestone streets of Leningrad, of which there were many at that time. Of course, there could be no talk of such a deal at the official level. Most likely, the rumor was the result of active political propaganda.

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This building is visible from almost anywhere in the city and from many other places: the majestic Cologne Cathedral seems to float above the city roofs and chimneys. Of course, thanks to its height, the cathedral serves as an excellent landmark for residents and visitors of the city. But this is more than just a symbolic point, it is the pride of the people of Cologne. Since its completion back in 1880, the gigantic Cologne Cathedral has dominated the city's skyline with its soaring towers. The height of the North Tower is 157.38 m, and the South Tower is 7 cm higher.

It is worth noting that, despite its height, Cologne Cathedral is the second tallest building in the city, after the telecommunications tower. The occupied area is no less impressive: the length of the cathedral is 145 m and the width is 86 meters. For comparison, a football field is “only” 100 by 70 meters. The total occupied area is almost 8,000 square meters and can simultaneously accommodate more than 20,000 people.

Agree, there is something unearthly and mystical in the appearance of the Cologne Cathedral. It's not called the Devil's Cathedral for nothing. There is a terrible legend about the history of the creation of Cologne Cathedral. Read it and decide for yourself how true this creepy story is.

Cologne Cathedral: history of creation

The first stone of the foundation of the Gothic cathedral was laid on August 15, 1248, on the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Apparently, the old cathedral was not respectable enough to house the relics of the three venerable Magi, which Archbishop Rainald von Dossel took as a trophy from the city of Milan he conquered in 1164. These terrible relics became the reason for mass pilgrimages to the cathedral of believers from all over Europe. Therefore, the need arose to build a new, larger church to accommodate all the arriving pilgrims.

Cologne Cathedral: a mystical legend

Currently, Cologne Cathedral is the third largest religious building, made in the Gothic style. As was already written above, the great construction began on the Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1248, and was completed only in 1880. There are not many completed buildings in the world that took more than six centuries to create. Why did construction take such a long period of time? There are many reasons given: lack of funds, change of architects. But let's move on to the terrible legend, according to which the devil himself is involved in the history of construction.

Let's start from the very beginning. When the archbishop decided to build a huge church, master Gerhard von Riehle was entrusted with leading the construction. The clergy gave the architect a year to submit a construction plan. The architect was delighted with the colossal size of the order.

He immediately got to work, but things didn’t go well. Whenever it seemed to the master that the plan was executed without flaw, some error was discovered. The wizard corrected the error and again created the “ideal” project. But history repeated itself again and again.

Realizing that he had overestimated his skill, the architect decided to admit that such construction was beyond his capabilities.

And so, already on the verge of despair, he, walking along the banks of the Rhine, saw a stranger in construction clothes. The stranger was enthusiastically drawing something on a huge stone. When the architect came closer to the man, he was surprised to find that he was drawing on the stone nothing more than the construction drawings of the cathedral he had planned.

Gerhard began to beg the stranger to give him the project for any amount. To the architect’s surprise, it didn’t take long to persuade, and the man quickly agreed. But the price was too high and unusual. In exchange for the drawings, the devil (needless to say that it was he) wanted to receive the soul of the master.

But even this the demon did not stop. Satan offered the architect a deal under which he would build the entire cathedral in his place within three years. But for this he wanted to take not only the master’s soul, but in addition to receive the souls of his wife and child. The contract was concluded for exactly three years. The devil promised that if he did not manage to complete the construction before the roosters crowed to announce the beginning of the first day of the fourth year, then he would leave with nothing and would not bother the architect and his family.

Gerhard did not think long, considering that three years was an impossible period for such construction, and signed the documents prepared by Satan.

Needless to say, the life of an architect turned into real torture. He watched with horror the rapid pace of construction of the Gothic cathedral.

The wife, seeing that something was wrong with her husband, began pestering him with questions. The master plucked up courage and told his wife about everything.

The woman, of course, was scared, but at the same time, she began to feverishly look for a way out. And, oddly enough, she found him.

Remembering that the building must be completed before the roosters crow, she began to imitate the rooster's voice. Day by day she got better and better at copying a rooster's crow. Finally, she learned to make rooster sounds so well that the neighbor's roosters responded to them.

At the appointed time, long before dawn, the woman hid near the cathedral, which was almost completed. The devil and his servants were finishing the construction of the last tower. And then a rooster crowed. This cry was responded to by many rooster voices. And although the hour of dawn had not yet come, Satan realized that he had been deceived. But the agreement was precisely defined - before the first roosters. Out of helplessness, Satan began to destroy the almost built church.

Despite the fact that the cathedral was almost completely completed, the completion of construction was delayed for several centuries. Perhaps because the building was cursed by the devil himself. Those who undertook to complete the cathedral soon died or simply abandoned this profitable business. But, although it took a huge number of years, the Cologne Cathedral was completed.

Cologne Cathedral continuation of the story

So, according to legend, Cologne Cathedral was almost built, and Von Riele almost managed to avoid a terrible fate. Why almost? Because the story didn't end there. The fooled devil wanted revenge. The demon came up with another trap for the architect.

And Gerhard again followed the lead of the devil, pawning his soul to him.

Now they bet that Satan could bring water to Cologne through canals dug underground. Moreover, he undertakes to do this faster than the master manages to complete the construction of the cathedral. The architect, knowing that the water would not flow until vents were made in the canal, was confident that he would win again and agreed.

Gerhard again told his wife about the dispute. And this time he opened up to the woman in vain. Now the devil was on the alert and quickly learned about the secret that the master revealed to his wife.

At that moment, when water began to flow like a fountain from underground, the poor man was on the roof of the cathedral. Realizing that things were really bad, Gerhard threw himself down like a stone to save his soul. But the devil contrived and, turning into a huge black dog, picked up the unfortunate master right in the air.

As the legend says, the master's soul is now doomed to eternal torment in the underworld.

Cologne Cathedral remained unfinished. It is said that the ghost of the unfortunate man walks the halls of his creation.

Cologne Cathedral today

The legend is very beautiful and sad. What can we, our descendants, do? I think, first of all, to visit Germany and see with my own eyes the mystical magnificent creation. It's worth it because it's a real miracle.

Getting from Russia to Germany is not difficult and not expensive. There are flights, often the prices are really good, and there are bus tours. You can also reach Germany by train. But the best thing to do is to go on a tour with one of the major operators. Among other things, this will help to avoid problems with obtaining a Schengen visa. You should approach the choice of a travel agency very carefully. The company happytravel.ru has been organizing tours around German cities for several years now, and does it very professionally. In addition to visiting the Cologne Cathedral and German medieval castles, the guides of this organization offer a fascinating excursion to the best breweries in Germany. Of course, with a tasting of real German, freshly brewed beer.

Address: Germany, Cologne
Start of construction: 1248
Completion of construction: 1880
Architect: Gerhard von Riehle
Height: 157 m
Shrines: Chest of the Three Magi, miraculous sculpture of the Milanese Madonna, Hero's Cross
Coordinates: 50°56"28.7"N 6°57"29.2"E

Content:

Brief description

The famous Cologne Cathedral, built in the Gothic style, is undoubtedly the most recognizable and most famous temple in the entire world. All tourists who arrive in Germany consider it their duty to look at this majestic structure, which ranks third in height among all the temples on our planet.

Bird's eye view of the cathedral

Cologne Cathedral can be called a monument to all humanity, because its construction, which began in 1248, continues in our time, and, probably, will not be completed soon, if it is completed at all. There is an ancient legend associated with the Cologne Cathedral, which says that when the cathedral is finally built, the end of the world will come. It’s up to everyone to believe in this legend, or consider it an implausible myth, but the construction and reconstruction of Cologne Cathedral is carried out in the 21st century, the century of technological progress, in which there is no place for speculation, riddles, hoaxes and legends.

The height of the Cologne Cathedral can put a tourist visiting Cologne for the first time into a state of silent shock. 157 meters - this is the height of the architectural structure, which at first glance seems airy and “weightless”, despite its huge area. Near the Cologne Cathedral, at almost any time of the day, you can meet crowds of tourists with cameras who want to capture in photographs the building described by UNESCO as “one of the majestic creations of human genius.” Cologne Cathedral is also a place of pilgrimage for Catholics from all over the world, because it houses not only priceless relics of the faith, but also the remains of numerous archbishops, canonized as saints.

View of the cathedral from the opposite bank of the Rhine River

A large number of legends and secrets that shroud not only the Cologne Cathedral, but also the adjacent square in a dense veil, attract tens of thousands of paranormal researchers and esotericists to the city. An architectural structure made in the Gothic style quite often appears on wide screens in films shot in the genre of mysticism and horror. Naturally, there is nothing scary in the elements of the Cologne Cathedral; most likely, it attracts directors and screenwriters with its Gothic atmosphere and the legend of the devil himself. This legend deserves a more detailed consideration, so a little more about it below...

Cologne Cathedral - holy place

If you approach the Cologne Cathedral, you will see that constant archaeological research is being conducted in the area adjacent to it. Experts have long proven that the place on which Cologne Cathedral was built was considered holy even 600 years before the Savior came to our world. As a result of excavations, the ruins of ancient temples were found, which were built in honor of the pagan gods. However, even after the arrival of Christians in Cologne, various churches were constantly built on the site of the Cologne Cathedral, many of which were subsequently destroyed or burned.

View of the cathedral from Roncalliplatz

There is evidence that in the year 500, on the territory that is currently adjacent to the cathedral, a tomb was erected, in which archaeologists during excavations managed to find two bodies: a woman and a boy. Surprisingly, even after a huge period of time and constant construction work, the grave was not looted. Priceless exhibits made of gold, silver and precious stones were found there. Naturally, this suggests that the people buried near the Cologne Cathedral belonged to one of the ruling dynasties. According to some historians, the Merovingian dynasty. As mentioned above, churches were built on this site with enviable regularity. Apparently, the place where Cologne Cathedral currently stands has always been considered sacred.

Cologne Cathedral - construction and long history

If you study history carefully, The construction of Cologne Cathedral can be divided into two stages. The first stage began in 1248. The idea of ​​​​building a majestic cathedral, which in its size and architectural forms was supposed to surpass the legendary French cathedrals, came to Archbishop Conrad von Hochstaden.

Cathedral facade

True, the history of Cologne Cathedral begins even earlier. It would be more correct to say that the Gothic architectural miracle dates back to 1164. At that time, no one had yet thought about erecting a gigantic building. In 1164, the remains of the three Holy Magi were brought to Cologne. They were a kind of trophy obtained as a result of the conquest of the Italian city of Milan. It was then that the Archbishop of Cologne thought that the holy relics should be in a place worthy of them. Initially, over the course of ten years, a sarcophagus was made for them, which is still available for viewing in the Cologne Cathedral. Ancient craftsmen made the reliquary for the most precious shrine of Christianity from pure gold and noble silver, and the huge number of precious stones only emphasizes the significance of the relics of the three Magi for believers. By the way, in many tourist brochures the relics of the three Magi can be called the relics of the three Kings.

In 1248, the first stone was laid in the foundation of Cologne Cathedral. By the way, the architect Gerhard did not develop its form independently, but borrowed it from one of the churches in France. According to the project, the interior of the building was supposed to be illuminated by natural light, which is why the slender pilasters now create a feeling of airiness in the building.

South portal of the cathedral

It was decided to make the arches of the Cologne Cathedral pointed, which distinguished them from the arches of almost all French churches. In addition, pointed arches symbolize man’s aspiration upward – towards God. The eastern part of Cologne Cathedral was built first. Construction lasted, according to documents that have survived to this day, just over 70 years. During this time, an altar and internal choirs surrounded by a gallery were erected. As soon as the construction of the choir was completed, construction began on the northern part of Cologne Cathedral. To do this, it was necessary to demolish the Old Church, in which worship services continued during construction.

From the 14th to the 15th centuries, the naves on the southern part of the cathedral were completed and the three floors of the South Tower were built in succession. By the way, bells were installed on this tower in 1449, each of which had its own name “Speziosa” and “Pretitosa”. In addition, at the beginning of the 15th century, the northern part of the cathedral was covered with a roof. Oddly enough, at this point the first stage of construction was completed, and the cathedral, at the same time, stood unfinished until the 18th century.

Western façade of the cathedral

Cologne Cathedral - the legend of the architect

From the above we can conclude that the architect who developed the plan for the Cologne Cathedral required knowledge, endurance, and patience. By and large, he had to be a genius. There is a legend that says that the architect was never able to develop a plan for the majestic cathedral. He was constantly confused in his calculations and did not know what to do next with the drawings. He called himself... as his assistant. the devil. He turned to Satan with a request to help him draw up a plan for the Cologne Cathedral. The devil replied that he would not help him, but would bring ready-made drawings of the building, which in the future would become the most majestic in the world. For this he asked for only one thing - Gerhard's soul. The exchange of the drawing for the soul was to take place at the moment when the first rooster crowed.

Gerhard's wife found out about this black deal; she could not allow her husband to exchange his soul for the drawings of the cathedral. The architect's wife, while it was still dark, crowed instead of a rooster, and Satan immediately appeared and handed over the drawings. When the real rooster crowed, Gerhard already had the drawings and he did not have to give his soul to the devil. This is the legend that goes around the main and first architect of the Cologne Cathedral. By the way, it still has a sequel. Satan, deceived, placed a curse on the cathedral. He said that once the cathedral was completed, the world would end.

View of the cathedral towers

Cologne Cathedral - ongoing construction

Until the 18th century, the magnificent Cologne Cathedral, which many architects of the time called a wonder of the world, stood unfinished. Moreover, the erected choirs were already in need of repair. The second grandiose construction of the cathedral began in 1842. It was personally started by Frederick William IV. The original design developed by Gerhard was considered correct and worthy for the cathedral in Cologne. As a result of this, it was decided to continue work according to the first drawings. Already in 1880, the construction of the towers, whose height reached 157 meters, was “completed”. However, Cologne Cathedral continued to be constantly completed and restored: glass was changed, decorations were added, gates were installed, and the interior was updated. In addition, in 1906 it was necessary to restore one of the decorative towers, which suddenly collapsed.

World War II - Inviolable Cathedral

Many people are surprised by the fact that the legendary Cologne Cathedral received virtually no damage during the Second World War. Modern military strategists are trying to explain this: they argue that Soviet, British, American and French pilots did not drop bombs on the cathedral in order to use its high towers as landmarks. Everything around was in ruins, among them, as if appearing from another world, stood the Cologne Cathedral.

The central portal of the western façade of the cathedral

If the pilots’ strategy is easy to explain, then how can we explain the fact that numerous shells fired from long-range guns fell anywhere but on the Gothic cathedral? Apparently, he was still protected by higher powers. Naturally, on the walls of the Cologne Cathedral in 1945 one could find a few traces of shrapnel and bullets, but they were rather an “exception to the rule.” These “damages” became the reason for new restoration work. It is interesting that the company responsible for the restoration of the Gothic temple still works near its walls to this day. Tourists today can see a small office space of this company not far from the cathedral.

Cologne Cathedral in the 21st century

Cologne Cathedral is now not only an architectural landmark, but also a place where some of the main shrines of Christianity are kept. The above-mentioned shrine with the relics of the three Magi, numerous burials of archbishops, and the restored Milan Madonna are only a small part of the priceless treasures of Cologne Cathedral. The most important shrines, which cannot be valued in monetary terms, are exhibited in the treasury built on the base of the building.

View of the cathedral from the east

It is called the “Chamber of Shrines”. All valuable Christian relics - the staff of St. Peter, the chest of the Three Magi, the monstrance of St. Peter, wands and swords made of precious metals and inlaid with precious stones are located under bulletproof glass and illuminated by special spotlights. In addition, the treasury of the Cologne Cathedral is famous for its huge collection of ancient manuscripts, which tell about the numerous exploits of the saints. In Cologne Cathedral you can also see exhibits dating back to 500 AD. It displays objects made from gold, silver, rubies, diamonds and marble found in the “grave of a woman and a boy.”

Of particular interest to guests of the Cologne Cathedral is Gero's Cross, made of oak. This was one of the first crucifixions in the entire Old World. Archbishop Gero, who returned from Byzantium in 976, decided to make a two-meter cross from strong “eternal” wood. A huge number of believers come to this cross every day to offer their prayers to the Savior. The popularity of this sacred exhibit is not at all in the size of the crucifix, but in the way Jesus Christ is depicted on the cross.

Roof fragment

According to modern experts, it was almost impossible to reproduce the human body in such detail in those distant times. Jesus Christ is depicted on the crucifixion at the moment when his body dies, all the muscles, protruding bones and even tendons are reproduced with extreme precision. Few people knew about the anatomical structure of man in the first millennium. This is another of the many mysteries that Cologne Cathedral holds.

Alas, even a hundred materials are not enough to describe all the beauty of the architectural structure, to list all its treasures and shrines. Most tourists who have visited the Cologne Cathedral say that they do not want to leave the temple, and in order to at least partially become familiar with its interior decoration, it will take at least a week. It takes even more time to feel the atmosphere that permeates everything even outside the building. It is no secret that any person, once inside the Cologne Cathedral, experiences a feeling of awe that makes him freeze in front of all the splendor for which the third largest temple on our planet is famous.

Fragment of the stained glass window of the cathedral

The Cologne Cathedral is still under construction, restoration is underway in many rooms, so it’s too early to talk about the end of the world these days. By the way, some sources say that when the cathedral is completed, it will not be the end of the world, but Cologne will sink into oblivion. Probably, the Roman Catholic Church and numerous construction companies are in no hurry to verify the veracity of the legend associated with the Cologne Cathedral and its first architect, Gerhard.

The path to the famous Gothic Quarter of Barcelona begins from here, from Cathedral Square. But today we will not wander through the labyrinth of its narrow stone streets, but here, in the square, we will stop, because our conversation will be about it, the main cathedral of Barcelona - the Cathedral. The cathedral, seemingly weightless, with a pointed spire pointing into the sky, has always attracted the attention of historians and simply curious people. He is all a complete mystery and mystery. Over countless years, the cathedral has accumulated so many legends and traditions that telling about them would take more than one hour. I will have to limit myself to the most interesting of them.

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So, the most ancient legend is associated with the place where the cathedral is located: according to legend, none other than the Apostle James himself, visiting Barcelona at the beginning of the Christian era, pointed to the place where the first stone was subsequently laid in the foundation of the basilica. From that small basilica the adventure-rich history of the Cathedral began. It has had to experience a lot over the past centuries: it passed from hand to hand, from Christians to Muslims, turning into a mosque and back, and was destroyed to the ground, and was reborn again, like a Phoenix from the ashes. By the way, its revival became possible thanks to the amazing love story between the Count of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer I and the beautiful Almodis de la Marche (we will talk about this story a little later). The very name of the cathedral - St. Eulalia Cathedral - is also associated with a legend, enchanting and creepy at the same time; it would be simply unforgivable not to introduce you to it.

However, everything is in order. Let's start with the fact that the Gothic cathedral that we see now began to be built in 1298. They built it and built it, but never completed it - for one banal reason: lack of funds. It took him more than six centuries to take his current form. Although the building itself was built in just one hundred and fifty years, the facade (the beauty and pride of the cathedral) was born in its current form relatively recently: at the end of the 19th century, and the spire - generally in 1913. True, the façade was built based on medieval drawings by the French architect Karl Galtes in the same Gothic style as the building itself.

The main shrine of the Barcelona Cathedral is the crypt, located under the main altar. Here, in a marble sarcophagus, rest the relics of Saint Eulalia, who gave her name to the cathedral. For a long time she was the patroness of the city.
Now the time has come to listen to the legend about this young Christian martyr.

The Legend of Saint Eulalia.


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At the very beginning of the 4th century, in Barcino (as Barcelona was then called), a girl named Eulalia grew up in a family of wealthy merchants. Her parents, people of progressive views, chose the Christian faith as a protest against the arbitrariness and corruption of the Roman authorities. Times were troubled: the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting the first Christians. Governor Barsino accused Eulalia's parents of acquiring their wealth through magic, allegedly inherent in Christian rituals. Outraged by such an unfair accusation, Eulalia rushed to the temple of Augustus. There, with the ardor and uncompromisingness of youth (she was barely thirteen years old), she delivered an indictment speech against the ruler.


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She ended her angry tirade by throwing a handful of earth at the pagan altar. The angry governor ordered the rebel to be thrown into prison and, to discourage others, to beat her with whips. The night after the punishment, angels descended into the dungeon and healed the bloody wounds of the unfortunate woman. The next morning, seeing that heaven itself had come to the aid of Eulalia, the enraged Dassian (that was the name of the governor) assigned her another test. This continued thirteen times (according to the number of years the girl had lived), torture followed, one more terrible than the other. They tore her body with hooks, burned her legs on hot coals, burned her breasts, poured salt on the wounds and poured boiling oil and molten tin over them, lowered her downhill in a barrel filled with broken glass, locked her in a pen full of angry fleas. And after each torture, the angels again came to her aid. In the end, the girl was subjected to a shameful test: naked, she was put in an open cart and driven through the streets of the city. Each time the torturers asked her the same question: “Are you renouncing your religion?” In response, the girl only shook her head negatively.


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Having lost hope of breaking Eulalia’s stubbornness, the governor ordered the rebellious woman to be executed by crucifying her on a cross. As soon as the martyr gave up her ghost, an unprecedented cold descended on the ground. The Roman soldiers guarding the place of execution, numb, hid in all directions. Eulalia's parents were able to remove the martyr from the cross and bury her, as required by Christian custom. For a long time, her remains rested in the church that stood on the site of the present Santa Maria del Mar. Subsequently they were moved to the Cathedral.

This is such a beautiful and scary legend. For those who want to tickle their nerves, I suggest you look at the marble bas-reliefs in the choir, which depict scenes of torture of our heroine.


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Time passed, new songs appeared, well, or new legends, as in our case. In the Middle Ages, Saint Eulalia was replaced by another saint, Merce, who in turn became the patroness of the city. Despite this, the holy martyr was not forgotten: her name appears in the names of several streets in the old city, there is even a metro station named after her. In the Palace of Bireina (Vice Queen), on the Rambla, next to other giant figures behind glass, you can see the figure of a girl holding an unusually shaped cross in her hand. This doll is the prototype of “Saint Eulalia”. She, like other “giants”, is still worn through the city streets during city holidays. They say that Eulalia was seriously offended by the townspeople for treason. Since then, every year on September 24, the day of Saint Merce, she sends rain to Barcelona to ruin the holiday for people. Well, women always remain women, even saints. However, recently Eulalia has noticeably calmed down and is no longer annoying the townspeople. The thing is that her name became fashionable; the Catalans began to call their daughters Eulalia or simply Laia.


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Now we will enter the cathedral. Attached to its wall (as was customary in cathedrals) are two painted wooden sarcophagi. They contain the remains of the founders of the cathedral: Count Ramon Berenguer, later nicknamed the Old, and his wife, the beautiful Almodis de la Marche. It is with them that the love story I promised to tell you about is connected.

Count Ramon Berenguer I and Almodis.

It has everything: love at first sight, adultery, running away with a lover, the struggle for love, power, and... murder. Everything follows the rules of an adventure novel. Similar stories took place in ancient times, and the fact that the heroes of this one were two noble people gives even greater intensity to passions. It was then that Count Berenguer was nicknamed the Old One, and at the time of his meeting with Almodis he was a very attractive man in the prime of his life. Everything would be fine if both heroes were not burdened with families and children. But this did not become an obstacle for the lovers: Almodis leaves his family and leaves with his lover for his domain. He is also ready for anything: he kicks out his wife, forgets about the children and enjoys life with his beautiful mistress. But those around us clearly do not agree with this state of affairs. The Pope himself stands up for the rights of the offended. Ramon Berenguer managed to solve this problem: having allocated a significant amount for the construction of the temple (this happened in the 10th century), the count returned the location of the church. The situation was worse with Berenguer's former family; his son from his first marriage, Pedro Ramon, fearing that the Almodis children would take his place on the throne (quite rightly, by the way: the newly-made countess was ready for anything), found the easiest way to get rid of the threat: he killed rival. By the way, the killer never succeeded in ascending the throne, but the love story ended there. Centuries passed, passions died down, history was forgotten, and only two coffins hanging on the wall of the cathedral remind of it.


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Crucifixion "Christ of Lepanto".

Another of the cathedral’s shrines, which cannot be ignored, is the wooden crucifix called “Christ of Lepanto”.

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Why "from Lepanto"? Because this crucifix was placed by John of Austria at the stern of the flagship galley of the Christian flotilla during the Battle of Lepanto in the 16th century. Victory in this battle ended almost a century of Turkish dominance in the Mediterranean. On the crucifixion, Christ is depicted in an unusual pose: his body is curved like the letter S. Some of the skeptics, foaming at the mouth, will begin to argue that in this way the author of the sculpture wanted to depict the pain of the agonizing Christ. But what do we care about skeptics if, according to legend, hundreds of witnesses saw how Christ on the crucifixion dodged an enemy cannonball flying right at him. In all likelihood, Providence decided that one miracle was enough and did not return Christ to his original position. So he froze forever.

The legend of the "Turk's Head".

Another legend is associated with the Cathedral - “The Legend of the Turk’s Head”. This story began in the same bloody battle of Lepanto. As we already know, it ended with the victory of the Christians. As a symbol of victory, the Spaniards made a huge head of a Turk from cardboard with a long head and a turban. The Catalans call it "carassa". During the Christmas holidays, the head was hung over the organ, and a crowd of children gathered around it, looking at the monster in fascination. From time to time the head put on a show: suddenly its eyes began to roll wildly, it uttered terrible screams, and frightened children echoed it. But soon the horror of the children gave way to screams of delight when caramels began to fall out of the monster’s open mouth. However, not all parishioners liked what was happening; many showed dissatisfaction with the fact that the “severed” head of an infidel was in the Christian church.

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In 1970, the “karassa” was removed. In 1989, after a long break, they decided to return this previously popular character to his place. They made a new head, similar to the one that was in the 16th century, but gave it a more good-natured appearance. During the Christmas holidays, the "karassa" again puts on performances in the cathedral and even goes for a walk through the streets of the Gothic Quarter, to the great joy of not only children, but also adults. The expression “to look for the head of a Turk”, which has become firmly established in the everyday speech of the Spaniards, is associated with this character. During the Crusades, cutting off the head of a Turk (infidel) was considered an unusually commendable achievement. When this was successful, the severed head was hung on a mast or impaled on a spear, and the soldiers began to scold it at all costs, blaming it for all the troubles and misfortunes. Thus, when they say that they are looking for the head of a Turk, it means that they are looking for none other than a scapegoat.

Here is another celebrity of the cathedral: the stone baptismal bowl. In itself, it would not be of particular interest if it were not for the memorial plaque attached above it. The text says that six Indians brought by Columbus to Barcelona in 1493 were baptized in this cup. As you know, in Barcelona the later famous navigator was met by the Spanish Catholic kings: Fernand and Isabella.


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