A face sculpted in stone on the main facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Girona has caught the attention of residents and visitors due to its resemblance to Salvador Dalí. The cathedral, located in Plaça de la Catedral, 17004 Girona, is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city's historic quarter.
A singular detail on the baroque facade
The main facade of the temple, built between the 16th and 18th centuries, features three sections with niches and sculptures. In the second column starting from the right, a stone head stands out that resembles the artist from Empordà. This sculpture was made in 1733, more than 170 years before the birth of Dalí, which took place in 1904.
Until the nineteen sixties of the 20th century, the niches of the facade remained empty. It was then that the current sculptures were installed, following the guidelines of the sculptor and architect Pere Costa Casas. The coincidence has generated interest about the origin and symbology of this face, although there is no documentary evidence that directly links it with Dalí.
Historical and family ties
The father of the cathedral's sculptor created an altarpiece in the church of Cadaqués, a town where Salvador Dalí attended mass during his childhood. This fact has been collected in specialized publications and in research on the relationship between the artist and the city of Girona.
The Girona Magazine addressed this topic in issue 222 published in 2004, in the article titled Dalí. Local Symbolisms, where the possible link between the face of the cathedral and the figure of the painter is analyzed. The interest in this architectural detail remains alive among scholars and the local public.
Dissemination and cultural context
The podcast The Girona Cathedral, produced by the magazine Petit SÀPIENS, offers detailed information about the history and artistic elements of the building. This content has contributed to spreading knowledge about the monument and its particularities.
The so-called "Dalí Triangle", which includes the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Salvador Dalí House-Museum in Portlligat and the Gala Dalí Castle House-Museum in Púbol, strengthens the cultural connection of the province of Girona with the artist's legacy. The presence of the face in the cathedral adds one more element to this network of Dalinian references in the area.