Editing Barcelona Cathedral (section)

==History==
Parts of an early Christian and Visigothic episcopal complex including the baptistery (fourth century), a basilical hall (fifth century), a cross shaped church (sixth-seventh century) and bishop's palace (sixth-seventh century) are displayed in [[Barcelona City History Museum]] archaeological underground.  Reportedly, this [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] chapel was dedicated to [[James, son of Zebedee|Saint James]], and was the [[proprietary church]] of the [[List of Viscounts of Barcelona|Viscounts of Barcelona]].<ref name="ReferenceA">F. Carreras Candi ''La Ciutat de Barcelona''</ref>  However, in a document from the Second Council of Barcelona in 599, it states that the cathedral was dedicated to the Holy Cross.<ref name="catedralbcn.org"/> This church was severely damaged by al-Mansur ([[Almanzor]]) during his attack on Barcelona in 985.

In 1046, Count [[Ramon Berenguer I]] and his wife [[Almodis de la Marche|Almodis]], together with [[Bishop of Barcelona|Bishop]] Guislabert, began construction of a Romanesque cathedral at the site; it was consecrated in November 1058.<ref name="catedralbcn.org"/> The cathedral was constructed over the [[crypt]] of the former church.  It has been reported that a Viscount of Barcelona, Mir Geribert, sold the site to Bishop Guislebert in 1058,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> though however, this date does not coincide with the reported start of construction.

The present Gothic cathedral was begun on the foundations of the previous churches on 1 May 1298; [[James II the Just]] was [[King of Aragon]] at the time, and Bernat Pelegrí was Bishop of Barcelona. The church was built from the east end towards the west end, with a simple west façade completed in 1417.  The cloister was completed in 1448, making the total duration of construction 150 years.  In the late nineteenth century, {{ill|Miguel Girona i Agrafel|es|Manuel Girona y Agrafel}} offered to complete the neo-Gothic façade and central tower as inspired by the original fifteenth-century design prepared by master Carlí and rearranged and drawn by the architect {{ill|Josep Oriol Mestres|ca|Josep Oriol Mestres i Esplugas}}. This work was completed in 1913 by Girona's children.<ref name="catedralbcn.org"/>

<gallery class="center">
File:Cathedral of Barcelona 1850 Villaamil.jpg|The façade in year 1850 by [[Jenaro Pérez Villaamil]], published in the work ''España artística y monumental''
File:Catedral-1890.jpg|The reform of the façade at the commencement of the build in 1890
File:Catedral-1900.jpg|The façade with the lateral towers, around 1900
</gallery>