Tortosa - Cathedral

The Cathedral, built between 1347 and 1557, has a Moorish tower and a Neo-Classical facade, but the interior shows a surprising unity of Gothic style. The choir-stalls date from 1588; the retablo on the high altar is by Jaime (Catalan Jaume) Huguet. Other notable features are two stone pulpits, one with reliefs of the Evangelists and the other with Fathers of the Church, and a font bearing the arms of Antipope Benedict XIII and a relief symbolizing the schism of the Church. To the left of the font is the 18th Century Capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Cinta (Catalan Mare Déu de la Cinta), which preserves as a sacred relic what is believed to be the Virgin's girdle. A Baroque side doorway leads into the 13th century cloister.