Girona Cathedral (Catedral de Santa Maria)

Girona Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria, rises above the old town at the top of a monumental staircase, and it is among the finest churches in Catalonia. The site has held a place of worship for many centuries, and an earlier Romanesque church was consecrated here in the eleventh century. The present building was begun in the fourteenth century in the Catalan Gothic style and was altered across the following centuries, so its parts belong to several periods. The wide Baroque façade, added in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, sits at the top of a flight of steps that gives the building a theatrical entrance, and the Romanesque-style bell tower, known as the Tower of Charlemagne, is one of the older elements.

The interior holds one of its major claims: a single nave about twenty-three metres wide, the widest Gothic nave in the world. Where other Gothic cathedrals used a row of narrow aisles divided by columns, the architects of Girona chose to roof a single vast space, and the result is an interior that feels clear and open rather than forested with pillars. The stained glass windows, tall vaults and a large altarpiece of silver and gilded decoration from the fourteenth century add to the effect. The cloister, built in the Romanesque period with carved capitals showing scenes from the Bible, is a quieter and more intimate space.

The cathedral museum is among the best parts of a visit. It displays gold and silver work, vestments and altarpieces, and above all two exceptional medieval objects. The first is the Tapís de la Creació, a large embroidered hanging from the eleventh or twelfth century showing the story of creation, one of the most remarkable surviving works of Romanesque art in Europe. The second is the Beatus of Girona, a richly illuminated manuscript from the tenth century. Together they give the museum a significance far beyond the region.

The cathedral is in the Barri Vell, the old quarter, and the surroundings are worth exploring. The narrow lanes of the Jewish Quarter, El Call, are close, and the colourful houses along the Onyar river, the Basilica of Sant Feliu, the Girona Art Museum and the monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants fill out a day. Parts of the cathedral and staircase appeared in the television series Game of Thrones, which has brought extra visitors.

Opening hours depend on the season, with later closing in summer, so check the official site. Allow around an hour and a half for the church, cloister and museum, and expect the staircase to be steep.