Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BOHO BARCELONA AND THE FOUR CATS
There's not much to see in the shopping zone north of the cathedral, but a century or so
agoataverncalled
ElsQuatreGats
(TheFourCats;c/deMontsió3,
4gats.com
)burned
brightly and briefly as the epicentre of Barcelona's bohemian in-crowd. It was opened by
Pere Romeu and other
modernista
artists in 1897, and the building itself is gloriously dec-
orated inside and out in exuberant Catalan Art Nouveau style - it was the classy architect
Josep Puig i Cadafalch's first commission.
Els Quatre Gats
soon thrived as the birthplace
of
modernista
magazines, the scene of poetry readings and shadow-puppet theatre and the
venue for cultural debate. A young Picasso designed the menu and, in 1901, the café was
the setting for his first public exhibition.
Els Quatre Gats
has always traded on its reputa-
tion - a place where “accountants, dreamers and would-be geniuses shared tables with the
spectres of Pablo Picasso, Isaac Albéniz, Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí” (
The
Shadow of the Wind
, Carlos Ruiz Zafón). Today, a modern restoration displays something
of its former glory, with the - frankly overpriced - bar-restaurant overseen by a copy of
Ramon Casas' famous wall painting of himself and Pere Romeu on a tandem bicycle (the
original is in MNAC).
La Seu
Pl. de la Seu • Mon-Sat 8am-12.45pm & 5.15-7.30pm, Sun 8am-1.45pm & 5.15-7.30pm • Cathedral and
cloister free during general admission times, otherwise tourist admission charge (obligatory Mon-Sat 1-5pm,
Sun 2-5pm) €6, but includes entrance to all sections •
catedralbcn.org
• Jaume I
Barcelona's mighty cathedral,
LaSeu
, whose intricate, high facade and soaring towers dom-
inate the very heart of the medieval quarter, is one of the great Gothic buildings of Spain.
Located on a site previously occupied by a Roman temple and then an early Christian ba-
silica, it was begun in 1298 and finished in 1448, save for the neo-Gothic principal facade,
which was completed in the 1880s. The cathedral is dedicated to the city's second patroness,
Santa Eulàlia
(known as Laia in Barcelona), a young girl brutally martyred by the Romans
in 304 AD for daring to prefer Christianity. Her remains were first placed in the original har-
bourside church of Santa María del Mar in La Ribera, which explains why she's also patron
saintoflocalsailorsandseafarers.In874Laiawasre-interredinthebasilicaandherremains
later placed in an ornate alabaster tomb that now rests in a crypt beneath the high altar.
Visit in the morning or late afternoon and admission to the church
interior
and
cloister
is free, though there are separate small charges to view certain other areas, including the
cathedral
museum
,filledwithglitteringchurchtreasure.Toseeeverything,it'sbettertovisit
between 1pmand5pmwhentheobligatory admission chargeincludes entrytoall sections of
the cathedral, including areas like the choir and various side-chapels that are not open to the
public during the general admission times. From the
roofterrace
, or
terrats,
take in intimate
