The town’s most remarkable in Castelló d'Empúries is the giant Església de Santa Maria, often referred to as the Cathedral of the Empordà. In the thirteenth century it was intended by the Counts of Empúries to be the centre of an episcopal see, but opposition from Girona, who didn’t relish a rival bishopric so close, meant that this never came about, and Castelló d’Empúries was left with a huge church out of all proportion to the town. Evidence of the church’s change in fortune can be seen in the unfinished belfry to the right of the facade. Note the statue of Judas Thaddeus, on the far left of the facade, a hundred-year old copy of the original, damaged by medieval towns- people, who would hurl rocks at it in the mistaken belief that it represented Judas Iscariot. You can see the original in the church museum. Other exhibits of note include a Hebrew gravestone found in the church, evidence of a medieval Jewish community in the town. Inside the church itself look out for the unique eleventh-century double font, one half for children and one for adults, and the ornate but ungilded fifteenth-century alabaster altarpiece, towering more than six metres over the altar, framed by windows made of alabaster slivers.
Basilica of Castelló d'Empúries Map
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Basilica of Castelló d'Empúries Photos
Altar de la Basílica de Santa Maria d'Empúries
Detall del retable de la Catedral de l'Empordà
Santa Maria d'Empúries facade, Castelló d'Empúries
Interior de la Basílica de Santa Maria d'Empúries
Pòrtic de la façana de la Catedral de l'Empordà
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