Circ Roma

Located between Via Augusta and the provincial forum, Tarragona's circus was once used to hold horse and chariot races. An elongated structure measuring 325 by 115 metres, its original capacity has been estimated at 30,000 spectators. The complex was built in the 1st century. Unusually, it was located within the city limits and is thus endowed with several atypical architectural features. It is considered one of the best-preserved circuses in the West, although some of the original structure remains hidden under old 19th-century buildings. The Praetorium is a Roman-era tower that once housed the stairs that connected the lower city to the provincial forum by way of the circus, to which it is connected by means of underground passageways. It stands at one of the corners of the vast rectangle of the provincial forum square. In the 12th century, it was transformed into a palace for the monarchs of the Crown of Aragon. It was subsequently used as a prison.

Catedral Tarragona

As for the cathedral itself, construction began in the 12th century in the Romanesque style and continued throughout the Gothic period. The building was consecrated in 1331; however, it could not be finished due to the Black Death, which razed the region. The soaring entrance and rose window of its façade are one of the city’s most emblematic images. At the cloister entrance, visitors will also find the Diocesan Museum and spectacular Saint Tecla altarpiece. The cloister’s sculpture work is one of the most pre-eminent examples of Romanesque art in Catalonia and dates back to the turn of the 13th century. As for the Diocesan Museum, special attention should be called to the collections of mediaeval and modern religious art from Tarragona and its diocese, including altarpieces, stone sculptures and wood carvings, goldwork, wrought-iron work, textiles, ceramics, etc. ON SUNDAYS THE CATHEDRAL, ITS CLOSE DUE TO THE CATHOLIC MASS. (WE WILL GET INSIDE OF THE ROMAN ANPHITHEATRE INSTEAD).