ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHEDRAL
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 80 m long by 18 m wide and 26 m high, with a gothic organ case.
The first stone was officially laid in 1324, but between wars, famines and epidemics, it took the builders 186 years to complete their masterpiece. It was consecrated in 1509, and erected as a cathedral in 1601. It is 80 m long, 18 m wide and 26 m high, with a single nave, a barely projecting transept and a wide apse. It is characteristic of the Southern Gothic, an architectural style particularly present in Catalonia in the 14th and 15th centuries. For historians, two churches would have preceded it on this site, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin del Correch (of the stream, in Catalan), and the Cathedral of St John the Old, consecrated in 1025. Inside, one can admire a magnificent organ case (classified as a historical monument), 19.75 m high and 8.80 m wide, in flamboyant Gothic style dating from the end of the 15th century, it has remained in its original state to this day. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest in the history of organ building. As for the exterior door, it is decorated with Romanesque sculptures from the 12th century. Restored over several years, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral has at last recovered all its splendour, its gold and its new clock. Not to be missed when leaving the cathedral is the Place Gambetta and its superb 16th century buildings. This is a good pretext to wander through the pedestrian streets of Perpignan to discover hidden treasures.
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