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  Sagrada Família  Sagrada Família or the church of The Holy Family is sometimes referred to as Gaudi’s Cathedral after the architect who gave it its unique design, Antoni Gaudi; although it is not a cathedral. The decision to construct a church in Barcelona dedicated to the Holy Family was taken in 1874 by Josep Bocebella. In 1881 the land was purchased and the following year on March 19, the foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Barcelona. READ MORE
Park Güell
 Located in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Park Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built from 1900 to 1914. Covering an area of over 17 hectors it is one of the largest architectural works in south Europe. The park was originally intended to be a residential complex and consisted of 60 luxury houses. The idea for the site was that of Count Eusebi Güell, after whom the park was named and was based on the English garden city movement. READ MORE
Barcelona Cathedral  The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia is better known simply as Barcelona Cathedra and is located in the heart of the Old Quarter of Barcelona. A cathedral is believed to have existed on the site in the 4th century. In the 5th century, the cathedral was replaced by one built by the Visigoths. Construction on the Gothic cathedral that we see today began in 1298 on the foundations of the previous buildings and took over 150 years to build. The cathedral contains a number of chapels with beautiful altarpieces and many fine pieces of art and sculpture. READ MOREPlaca del Rei  The Placa del Rei, the King’s Square, is situated in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona and contains a number of buildings dating from the 5th century. These include the Palace, with its Great Hall, a chapel, and the city museum. Under the buildings are an extensive array of Roman ruins with streets, buildings, and workshops that can be walked around. READ MORE
Located in the city of Cartagena in the South East region of Spain the city was known as Carthago Nova following its conquest in 209 BC by the Roman general Scipio Africanus. The city came to prominence in 228 BC when it was taken by the Carthaginian general Hadrubal as a base for the conquest of Spain due to its strategic harbour, and given the name of Qart Hadasht which means New City after Carthage. The city became pivotal in the conquest of the area both for the Carthaginians and later the Romans. In 298 AD the Roman emperor Diocletian established the province of Hispania with Carthago Nova as its capital. Over the years it has held a number of other names instigated by different emperors. READ MORE
The first religious building to stand on the site of the Mosque-cathedral in Cordoba was a Roman temple dedicated to Janus, but following the withdrawal of the Romans from the Iberian Peninsula in the 6th century, Cordoba fell in 572 to the Visigoths. They constructed a Christian Church dedicated to St Vincent of Saragossa on the site of the Roman temple which remained in the hands of the Visigoths until the arrival of the Muslims in 711, although Christian continued to worship there until 714. READ MORE The Alhambra  Located at the top of al-Sabika Hill, in a strategic position overlooking the city of Granada. The Alhambra gets its name from the red walls that surround the structure. Its’ name coming from the Arabic qa'lat al-Hamra' which means Red Castle.
Although a fortress existed on the site before the Muslims arrived in Granada in the 8th century, and documents exist confirming that Sawwar ben Hamdun sought shelter there during the conflict that occurred within the Caliphate of Cordoba, to which Granada then belonged, and it is believed that it was at that time that the castle was constructed turning it into a military fortress. READ MORE
Malaga Cathedral
 Malaga Cathedral grew from the original cathedral which was converted from the Aljama mosque following the conquest of Malaga by Castilian forces in 1487. The cathedral was to be constructed around the mosque with work being carried out from 1528. Today it contains some beautiful architectural features and artwork in numerous side chapels around the body of the church. READ MOREChurch of the Sacred Heart  Located on the Plaza de San Ignacio, Malaga, the Church of the Sacred Heart was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century in a neo-gothic style, although it also contains some Muslim elements. The interior contains a number of altars and statues and some beautiful stained-glass windows. READ MOREChurch of the Holy Christ of Health
Construction of the Church of the Holy Christ of Health was started by the Jesuits in 1572 and the church was consecrated in 1630, although some work continued until 1644. It has an unusual design, with a large eight-sided roof on an octagonal base with a small cupola at the top of the hemispherical dome. Within the church are several beautiful altars displaying fine statues and paintings. READ MORE
Orihuela Town Wall Museum  The city of Orihuela lies between Alicante and Murcia on the Costa Blanca. Its archaeological ruins of the town wall and buildings were discovered in 1998 during construction work for the University of Orihuela. Their importance resulted in them being integrated into the basement of the building, and to the establishment of the Wall Museum, to enable them to be preserved and viewed. READ MORE
Salvador and Santa Maria Cathedral
 Located in the old quarter in the centre of Orihuela, the Holy Cathedral Church of the Saviour and Saint Mary was originally constructed as a Parish church on the site of the Aljama Mosque at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1281 it became the main church for the area and in 1510 Pope Julius II awarded it cathedral status although it represented the Dioceses of Orihuela and Cartagena with one Bishop presiding over both. It was not until 1564 that the post of Bishop of Orihuela was created and the Bishopric was consecrated in 1597. READ MORE
Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet Monastery
 Located in the north-eastern region of the Iberian Peninsula in southern Catalonia, Poblet Abbey is one of the world’s largest and most complete Cistercian abbeys.
The Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet was founded in 1151 by Cistercian monks who had moved to the area from France following the recapture of what is now Spain from the Moors. The monastery developed around a church which was begun in the 12th century and completed in the 13th. Most of the abbey’s construction took place in the 12th and 13th centuries, although building continued to be done on the site through the 15th century. READ MORE
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral  Santiago de Compostela is located in Galicia in north-western Spain and is famous for its Cathedral, which was built on the shrine of Saint James, (son of Zebedee) one of the Apostles of Jesus. The cathedral is the destination for Catholic pilgrims who complete the Way of Saint James, a pilgrimage that originated in the 9th century and is the third most popular pilgrimage for Christians/Catholics. READ MORE
Torrevieja Church of the Immaculate Conception  The Church of the Immaculate Conception is located in The Plaza de la Constitution in the heart of Torrevieja. Completed in 1880 on the site of two previous churches, the two bell towers were added in 1907 giving it its current appearance. READ MORE Cathedral of the Holy Chalice  The Gothic Cathedral located in the old town at the centre of Valencia is known as “Saint Mary's Cathedral”, “The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia” or just as "Valencia Cathedral".
Built on the site that was previously a Roman temple, a Visigoth cathedral, and an 8th century Mosque, it was several decades after the Christian conquest of the city (1238), before the cathedral was constructed, between 1252 and 1482. Construction is in the Gothic style, although it contains elements of early Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical. READ MORE Xàtiva Castle .JPG?456) Located on the hill above the town of Xàtiva, 34 miles south of Valencia, Xàtiva Castle predates Roman times. Reference to it was made by the Roman consul and poet Silius Italicus in the first century AD. Although it is known as a castle, it is in reality a fortification, one that is divided into two parts, the lower known as the Castell Menor, and the upper called the Castell Major. READ MOREMallorca Palma Cathedral  Christianity came to the island of Mallorca in the 5th century and it is known that the Bishop of Majorca attended a Synod at Carthage in 484 due to the existence of documentary evidence.During the 9th century, a series of battles took place between Christians and Muslims for control of the island and when the Arabs conquered it in 903 under Emir Isam el Jawlani, they were, as they were throughout their area of domination, tolerant of the Christian religion. READ MORE Almudaina Palace
 Located overlooking the sea on the site of a prehistoric town, the Palace still contains the ruins from that period some of which can still be seen at the lower level of the palace. When the island was conquered by the Romans in 121 B.C. they chose the site to house a fort, which remained there until it was destroyed by the Vandals in the 5th century, who then constructed one of their own on the same site. READ MORE |
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All Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain
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