Seu Vella

The old cathedral of Lleida, dedicated to Saint Mary, dominates the city and is one of the of the most outstanding and characteristic monuments of western Catalonia.

Built on the site of the mosque that was raised in the Moorish period, work began on the present building in 1203 under the direction of Pere Sa Coma. The workshop of Pere de Prenafeta carried on the works, and it was consecrated in 1279.

The large church, fundamentally Romanesque but with Gothic ceilings, preserves important remains of mural paintings and monumental sculpture. The carved doorways known as Major, dels Fillols and l'Anunciata, are highly interesting and are characteristic examples of what is known as the "Lleida school", in which both Islamic and northern European influences can be discerned.

Also notable are the Gothic cloister (14th-15th centuries), for its grandeur and ornamentation, the Apostles' doorway and the 60 metre high bell-tower, which you may climb to obtain splendid views of the city of Lleida and of the whole of the Segrià district.