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GironaJewish Quarter The Call de Girona is the best kept jewish quarter in Catalunya and one of the mos noteworthy in Spain. The steep narrow streets of Cúndaro and Sant Llorenç and the whole quarter bordering the street of la Força is where the jews lived during six hundred years. The community of Girona numbered some 300 inhabitants, was the largest in Catalunya after that of Barcelona, and the most famous as the first Cabalistic School in the Iberian peninsula was founded here during the first half of the XII centrury.  ParkThe Devesa de Girona is the largest urban park in Catalunya with an area of 40 hectares, 9 of which are shady walks. The park has more than 2,500 plane trees, hybrids of the oriental and occidental species most of which were planted around 1850 and are therefore about 145 years old. Having been planted very close together they have grown more in height than in girth reching their maximum height ahead of their time. Many of them have reched the exceptional height of 55 metres Gothic The nave of the Cathedral of Girona has the widest unsupported gothic arch in the world mesuring 22.98 meters, it is the widest nave of any style except for that of Saint Peter of Rome which has a nave 25 meters wide. When they began to construct the Temple it was planned for three naves and the proposal to build only one caused discussions which delayed the work for fifty years. In 1417 the Cahpter of the Cathedral called a meeting of Master Builders and experts, after hearing their opinion, the majority in favour of three naves, they finally decided on one single nave making the Cathedral unique in the world of gothic architecture.  StairwayThe steps up to the Cathedral of Girona form the largest Rococo stairway to be found and one of the most singular in Europe due to its characteristics and the place where it is situated. Built in the XVII century, its monumental scenographic is increased by the fact that it stands free from the nearby buildings. There are 90 steps divided into three flights of 30 steps each of them separated by a landing and bordered by a stone balustrade and topped by stone spheres. On the height of the steps rises the façade of the Cathedral considered as the most beautiful of Catalan Baroque architecture.  TapestryDThe Tapestry of the Creation in the Museum of the Cathedral of Girona was embroidered in the XI or the beginning of the XII century, it is the only one of its king and the most important exemple of Romanic textile art to be found int the world. It covers an area of 12 square meters worked in coloured wool, it is justifiably world famous and attracts attention for its rich theme and iconography. The central theme is the creation of the world  and man in Paradise with all the natural elements surrounding the central figure of Christ. A Glazier's board In the museum of Art in Girona there is a recently discovered board for assembling stained glass, thought to be the only known exemple in the world. Thanks to this we have an exemple of how stained glass windows were made, until now the process has only been explained by books of those times. On the board designs were made with a scriber and the drawings were coloured by pigments, the different glass was then cut and fitted into the design and afterwards soldered with lead on the same bench. Distance from BEUDA: 26 km. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
