Our monthly marvel for October is Valencia Cathedral in the heart of the old town, the natural starting point for exploring the city.
The first stone of the cathedral was laid on 22 June 1262, on the site of a mosque, and the building kept growing for centuries. It's an amazing mixture of architecture, with styles from different centuries sitting side by side, and it keeps a small agate cup revered as the Holy Grail.
Its three doors show how long it took: the Romanesque Puerta del Palau, the Gothic Puerta de los Apóstoles and the baroque Puerta de los Hierros on the Plaza de la Reina, designed in 1703.
Stand outside one of those doors, the Puerta de los Apóstoles on the Plaza de la Virgen, on a Thursday at 12 noon and you'll see the Tribunal de las Aguas (the Water Court) in session. Irrigation disputes from the huerta, the market gardens around the city, are settled here in a tradition UNESCO has listed as intangible heritage since 2009. It's often described as the oldest court of justice in Europe and has likely been sitting here for more than a thousand years.
Inside, look up above the high altar. In 2004 restorers found twelve angels playing Renaissance instruments, painted between 1476 and 1481 by the Italians Paolo da San Leocadio and Francesco Pagano, and hidden since 1674 behind a baroque vault.
If you've got the energy and a head for heights, climb the Miguelete, the bell tower Valencians call the Micalet. Begun in 1381 and finished in 1424, it stands 51 metres tall and, following a Catalan tradition, its height matches its perimeter. It's 207 steps to the terrace, which holds 50 people at a time, so go early for the view across the old town's rooftops to the sea.
The cathedral's best-known treasure is in the Chapel of the Holy Chalice, a 14th-century Gothic room with an eight-pointed star vault. Tradition says the dark red agate cup kept there is the one Jesus used at the Last Supper. Take a look for yourself and see whether you think it really is.
October is particularly important for the cathedral because it brings the close of the Jubilee Year of the Holy Chalice, which ends on Saturday 24 October.
Valencia is one of only seven jubilee cities in the world, which means the Vatican allows it to hold its own Holy Year, every five years. During that year, pilgrims who visit the Chapel of the Holy Chalice can receive a spiritual pardon known as an indulgence.
On the evening of 24 October there's Mass in the Plaza de la Virgen at 5.30pm, then a procession into the cathedral, which stays open for prayer until 12 midnight.
Until 29 October you can also see a free exhibition on the chalice's story at the Almudín, the old city granary a few minutes' walk away, with a free audio guide in English.
For the whole story with a guide, the Valencia Holy Grail and History Tour includes entry to the cathedral and the Chapel of the Holy Grail, continues to the Silk Exchange and the Central Market, and finishes with paella for lunch. It runs Monday to Saturday at 10.30am.
Visiting Valencia Cathedral
- Opening hours (October to June): Monday to Friday 10.30am to 6.30pm; Saturday 10.30am to 5.30pm; Sundays and holidays 2pm to 5.30pm. Last entry one hour before closing.
- Closed to visitors: Friday 9 October, the Valencian Community's public holiday.
- Tickets: €12 (€6 reduced, €22 family, under-8s free), including the museum and an audio guide in English.
- Miguelete: daily 10am to 6.45pm (last entry 6.15pm), €3 (€2 reduced).
- Location: between the Plaza de la Reina and the Plaza de la Virgen.
- Getting there: metro lines 3 and 5 to Colón, then about a 10-minute walk. From the Estació del Nord it's about 15 minutes on foot via the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Visit our Tours and Excursions section for more activities in Valencia.
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