Girona Art Museum (Museu d'Art de Girona)

The Museu d'Art de Girona occupies the old Episcopal Palace, the bishop’s residence, in the highest part of the old town, right beside the cathedral, and the setting is part of the pleasure. The palace stands at the top of the Pujada de la Catedral, the monumental street and staircase that climbs to the cathedral’s west front. The building has medieval origins, with parts of the Romanesque and Gothic periods, and was extended and modified over the centuries as the bishops of Girona changed it to suit their needs. It became a museum in the twentieth century, after the collection of the diocese and of the provincial authorities were brought together, and it has been renewed several times since.

The collection follows the history of art in the region from the Romanesque period to the twentieth century, and it is especially rich in medieval religious art. A large part of it came from churches and monasteries across the province of Girona and from the cathedral itself, which means that many of the works were made for places of worship in the area. The Romanesque section includes carved stone, painted wooden panels and frontals that originally adorned altars, and the Gothic section brings together altarpieces of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries painted in strong colours with gold backgrounds. One of the best-known works is the altarpiece from Púbol, a masterpiece of Catalan Gothic painting by Bernat Martorell, dating from the 1430s. The Baroque and nineteenth-century rooms show how religious art and portraiture continued to develop, and the final sections include modern and contemporary painting and sculpture by Catalan artists.

The building adds interest of its own. Visitors move through large halls with stone arches, timber ceilings and tall windows, some with views over the roofs of the old town, and a grand staircase leads between the floors. The exhibition rooms are arranged in a chronological sequence so that the visit follows the story of the region’s art. Temporary exhibitions are held in the museum, and educational activities and workshops for families and schools are offered throughout the year. The Girona Art Museum has also been linked with other sites, such as the Antic Hospital de Santa Caterina, in Girona, Spain, so check the current arrangements.

The museum is closed on Mondays, and the hours are longer in summer than in winter, with reduced prices for certain groups and free entry on some days, such as the first Sunday of the month. Check the official site for current details. A visit takes about an hour and a half.

It makes a natural pair with the cathedral, whose museum holds the famous Tapís de la Creació, and the two are a few steps apart. The Basilica of Sant Feliu, the Jewish Quarter of El Call and the monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants are all nearby, and the colourful Onyar River Houses lie below the hill.