The new Cathedral

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The New Cathedral was built between 1761 and 1781 (El Segrià - Spain), thanks to donations from Lleida's inhabitants, King Carlos III and bishop Joaquín Sánchez. It is a Baroque style building with many French academy and classicist features. It is located in the heart of the city’s commercial district and can be found just in front of the former Hospital de Santa Maria.

Staircases, with three semi-circular iron doors and lateral supports, provide access to the main door, which is crowned by the coat of arms of the Bourbon family. The three-aisled layout of the interior largely masks the thin Corinthian-style colonnade that supports the semi-circular arches.The original Baroque choir, the work of Lluís Bonifas Massó, was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War (1936).

The temple houses an image of the Virgin of Montserrat (La Moreneta) - the patron saint of Catalonia - by Josep Obiols and is a motive for pilgrimages on 27th April. The Virgin of the Bruise, whose saint's day is celebrated on 2nd February, is also an object of local devotion. According to legend, this figure takes its name from the "blau" (bruise) that was left when the sculptor threw a hammer at her forehead on observing that, while he was away, one of his disciples had completed the sculpture and surpassed his master's artistic ability.