In Catalonia, three Gothic arches stand out for their scale and setting, from Segarra to Barcelona and Martorell. A reader of La Vanguardia documented the Castell de les Pallargues in Plans de Sió, the former Hospital de la Santa Creu in Barcelona, and the Pont del Diable in Martorell.
The visit began at the Castell de les Pallargues, in the municipality of Plans de Sió in Segarra. The castle is one of five in the area and has been continuously inhabited since its medieval origins in the 11th century. Its main feature is the principal facade arch, which guides describe as the largest in Catalan civil Gothic architecture.
Visitors can see the castle’s cellars, art and dungeon. The article also notes that the current owners sometimes offer direct comments on its history. For readers following Catalonia-wide heritage coverage, related stories are collected on our news page.
Ten days before that visit, the reader was in Barcelona and saw what they describe as the second-largest Gothic arch in Catalan buildings. It is part of the former Hospital de la Santa Creu complex, built in the 15th century to bring together smaller hospitals. The arch gives access to the current home of the Biblioteca de Catalunya, opposite a 17th-century monumental cross.
The same complex also houses the Royal Academy of Pharmacy, known for its historic grille. The Barcelona stop places the city at the centre of this Gothic route, linking healthcare history with one of the capital’s best-known heritage buildings.
The third site is the Pont del Diable, or Devil’s Bridge, in Martorell. It is an infrastructure project rather than a civil building. The bridge has Roman origins, predating Christ, and was part of the Via Augusta. Although floods largely destroyed it, a Roman triumphal arch remains on the Castellbisbal side.
The bridge was rebuilt in Gothic style at the end of the 13th century and features the largest ogival arch in Catalonia’s regions. It was reconstructed again after the Spanish Civil War. The reader says it can be seen from nearby roads, but walking across it gives a better view of the structure.