BARCELONA CATHEDRAL CLOISTER

Barcelona, Spain

Adjacent to the cathedral is a 15th century cloister. There are always 13 geese in its central courtyard. Each goose represents one year in the life of the martyr Santa Eulalia, a young girl tortured to death in the 4th century by the Romans for her Christian beliefs. The cloister contains a small museum with liturgist artifacts. It is a little oasis with beautiful flowers, trees, fountains - and the geese. There’s another smaller fountain at the other side. With there being no roof over the courtyard, the garden is always flooded with natural light. Around the sides of this courtyard are many closed-off altars, which contain symbols of religion and models of religious figures. These can be found within the main cathedral as well. Some are elegantly made and glimmer in the candle light with their gold details. The oddest thing in the cloister had to be the toilet. It is located right in the middle of the cloister, amongst all the greenery. You would never know it was there, but if you ask, you’ll get directions. In this courtyard you’ll find a square in the middle fenced off. In this little area is a pond with a beautiful fountain in the center, as well as dense trees and plants. The geese are usually roaming about. These noisy creatures thrive off the tourists and are dying to be fed.

It was late in the day as I was working on this sketch. The cathedral was closing, and I was pressed to complete the sketch.