Welcome to the Seu Vella, the old cathedral of Lleida.

The Gothic cloister from the 14th century, where you stand right now, is one of its most emblematic spaces.  Its dimensions are certainly extraordinary!  It is considered one of the largest in Europe.  Take a look at its four galleries, 11.5 m high and 7.5 m wide on average, and 45 to 50 m long.

The cloister, slightly trapezoidal in shape, is composed –in addition to the four galleries– of seventeen large, pointed arcade windows, twelve of which surround the courtyard while the other five look straight out onto the city in a totally exceptional way, making this cloister an open cloister.

The decoration on the seventeen arcades is rich and highly varied, with multiple combinations of geometric motifs. The same occurs with the capitals, abundantly decorated in plant and floral motifs populated by a whole world of animals and fantastic beings.

If you walk slowly and look closely, you’ll see that of the seventeen arcades, fifteen are different. Only two are repeated, one opposite the other. They are located in the southeast gallery, that is, the gallery open to the city.