Barcelona Cathedral keeps 13 white geese in its cloister.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, a young Christian martyr traditionally said to have died during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian. The thirteen geese are associated with the thirteen years of Eulalia’s age at her martyrdom, according to the local tradition.
The cloister, with its garden, fountains, chapels, and Gothic galleries, is one of the cathedral complex’s best-known spaces. The geese are not merely decorative symbols; they have long been maintained as living residents of the cloister.
Barcelona Cathedral is often confused with the Basilica of the Sagrada Família, which is a separate church in the same city. The cathedral is in the historic Gothic Quarter, while the Sagrada Família is Antoni Gaudí’s modernist basilica farther east.