What Münzer Saw in Barcelona II

Münzer: Sept. 21-26, 1494 / Sobré: May 10-14, 2011


Barcelona Cathedral
"On a knoll, is the magnificent and superb Cathedral and Episcopal seat, dedicated in honor of the Holy Cross. This building is extraordinarily delicate, and in its periphery are more than twenty altars with magnificent and gilded panels, and an excellent library and a garden with orange trees, lemon trees and cypresses.
         We were shown the great treasures of that church. Among other things, there was a beautiful monstrance, of about ninety four marks of purest gold, and decorated with so many pearls and precious stones, that it caused stupefaction. The church is also constructed in a surprising manner. Below the choir is the crypt, where the body of the virgin Saint Eulalia reposes, whom Diocletian crowned with martyrdom. In that crypt twenty lamps burn continuously. I ascended its [the Cathedral's] highest tower, as from a rampart; I contemplated at my leisure the city and its situation. Oh, what a splendid spectacle!

What Münzer Saw:
The Cathedral, of course, is still there, and Münzer would have seen the same basic structure as we do now. But there have been changes: a choir was added in the 16th century in the nave, the retablos, cleaned, restored and illuminated now by spotlights would have been brightly colored, but less visible. Whether they were lit or not would depend on who donated the oil lamps and candles that lit them, and if they had curtains over them or not. Though there are several of the 15th-century altarpieces still in chapels, none is in its original location. The cloister still has its lush foliage and citrus trees, as well as a resident flock of geese. The flock is dedicated to St. Eulalia, whose crypt can still be seen, though the modern illumination is controlled by a money-box by its grill.
One thing that’s there now that Münzer never saw was the “Gothic” façade of the Cathedral. It’s 19th century. In Münzer’s day, it was a blank wall.
The complex, 3-part custodial is now in the Cathedral museum, along with some other precious objects, it is still magnificent, though now in a plexi-glass case. The view from the roof (towers are closed to visitors) is not particularly impressive (more on this later)