In medieval times, getting buried in a sacred place like a cathedral was considered a direct route to the soul’s salvation and eternal rest. Thus, once the cathedral's construction was brought to a close, numerous chapels were built as sumptuous private burial sites. Not everyone, however, was able to participate in this belief, as the construction of the chapels was done mostly on the orders of high ecclesiastical officials or prestigious families.

A good example of this is the large chapel, built on the orders of the bishop Guerau de Requesens in the late 14th century, which you stand before now. Unlike other large chapels, it conserves an abundance of sculpted decoration, visible along the nerves of the upper vaults, with various figures and the heraldry of the Requesens. If you go inside the chapel, you’ll even be able to see a depiction of the bishop himself, kneeling before the Virgin on the keystone of the apse.

Another chapel, much smaller in size but very interesting, is the chapel of Saint Thomas, which conserves the oldest original paintings in the whole cathedral, dated to the first third of the 13th century. In the paintings, you’ll be able to pick out the Virgin with the Child, the twelve apostles and the Mystic Lamb, making a reference to the sacrifice Jesus made in the name of all men and their sins.

The lower part, however, is decorated with geometric motifs, of Mudejar tracery or Andalusian influence. The presence of this type of decoration is explained by the fact that Lleida, before being Christian, was Andalusian for more than 400 years.