Tarragona – a Cathedral and a Chapel

The prospect of another large Roman Catholic Cathedral didn’t, at first, appeal.  Having been to one in Madrid last year, Murcia a couple of years back and Valencia a few days ago (see A day of contrasts), the feeling I had was one of more gold, more statues, more iconography, more symbols etc…

Wrong.  This place gave me a spiritual boost as soon as I entered.  An absolutely enormous building with the usual side chapels for different saints, even cloisters where more side chapels could be found, but somehow the sheer size of this place, and its stark main chancel had something about it and I found myself wanting to sit a while, be still and talk to God.  Yes it had the usual high altar with Mary and no Christ, but it also boasted a prayer chapel, ornately decorated, but prayerful (apart for a loud tour guide!).

This was not what I expected.  My journey had taken me to a place where God’s presence was in the stark, austere not the opulent, symbolic.  Why?  Yes, this place was not as ornate as others but still it had the trappings of religious iconography that I’m not used to.  Was it, like yesterday, because this place with the prayer chapel obviously was used by people to ask God to be resent, people who genuinely seek to be in God’s presence.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this happens in the other places visited as well, but somehow this was real and ‘in your face’ – there is the prayer chapel, use it.

This was only the foretaste of what was to follow.  After a visit to the Bible Museum, which in itself was fascinating, we had a short walk to the Seminary Building. The first room visited was that of the Sacramental Chapel, with its white walls, simple altar piece and open, empty sacristy.  I felt the sacristy symbolised the empty tomb, no bread, no wine, no body, no blood, I am risen and with the people was very poignant and, whilst it may not be the real reason, it meant something to me.  I’ll need to find out if the open box does have a meaning.  Any ecclesiastical people out there with an answer?

Next we went to The Chapel of Saint Paul situated in the cloisters of seminary building. This chapel is built on a rock that Saint Paul is said to have preached from.  As I entered this place there was a definite WOW moment, one of awe and wonder, a very firm feeling of spirituality, the first place where I just wanted to take in. Wesley’s words Lost in wonder, Love and Praise spring to mind.  No doubt this place is used for prayer on a regular basis.

Back to the simple, stark single roomed building but I think I’ve now seen that God can be felt in the large iconic as well as the small simple places.