Sant Pere de Galligants Cloister - King's Landing Cloister

You stand within one of Catalonia's most exquisite Romanesque cloisters, the Sant Pere de Galligants, where nearly nine centuries of history surround you in perfect stone harmony. This sacred space, built in the twelfth century as part of a Benedictine monastery, represents the pinnacle of medieval architectural achievement in Girona, and more recently, it has captured the imagination of millions as a filming location for the hit series Game of Thrones, where it doubled as the gardens of King's Landing. As you walk along these covered galleries, notice how the cloister follows the traditional quadrangular layout that defined monastic architecture throughout medieval Europe. The Benedictine monks who once inhabited this space would have used these walkways for contemplation and prayer, moving between the various monastery buildings while remaining sheltered from the elements. The rhythm of their daily prayers, known as the Divine Office, would have echoed through these stone corridors eight times each day, from Matins at midnight to Compline in the evening. Look closely at the magnificent double columns that support the delicate arches above you. Each pair of slender columns shares a single capital, and it is here that medieval stone carvers displayed their extraordinary artistry. These capitals are carved with an intricate collection of biblical scenes, mythological creatures, and decorative motifs that served as a kind of stone encyclopedia for the largely illiterate population of the Middle Ages.