Escales de la Catedral de Girona, Baroque staircase at Cathedral Square in Girona, Spain
The Escales de la Catedral de Girona is a monumental stone staircase in the cathedral square with wide landings and classical balustrades on each side. The structure connects the lower plaza to the cathedral entrance and displays typical baroque design features such as pillars topped with spherical ornaments.
The earliest documented reference to stairs providing access to the cathedral dates to 1035, while the current baroque structure was completed in 1694. This long timeline shows how the cathedral had various access routes across centuries before taking its present form.
The staircase serves as a gathering point where locals and visitors meet to ascend toward the cathedral or pause to look across the city. The wide landings create natural spots for people to stop and take in the views and surroundings.
The staircase can be visited at any time of day and offers good visibility with natural light from the plaza. The climb requires physical effort, so comfortable shoes are recommended and caution should be taken during wet weather since the stones can become slippery.
The steps are made from nummulitic limestone, a material with visible fossils of tiny shells that reveal the age of the stone. This geological feature makes each step literally a walk through natural history.
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