Perpignan Buildings

Perpignan Buildings

We spent a lot of time in and around several buildings in Perpignan.

I am getting used to visits to the préfecture in Montpellier, so I had to see the one here

We kept finding our way to the coolness of the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste. It was first started in 1324, then modified in 1433 and 1601.

Most of the activities for the Fête de la Saint Jean were held near the Castillet: it was "first the city gate, then a prison. Built mainly at the end of the 14th century, Louis XI added, during the French occupation, the present Notre-Dame gate."*

The mayor's office (Hôtel de Ville, or Loge de Mer), "built in the 13th, 16th, and 17th centuries, is typical of local Roussillon architecture."* Maillol's La Méditerranée statue is in the patio. Inside, there was an exhibit of photos of Picasso, and paintings by Martin Vives

We didn't go to the Palais of the Kings of Mallorca (1276) this time (see my post here from 2011)

~~~
* quoted notes are from the tourist office literature.
A side note: public bathrooms aren't very obvious here. There is one in the tourist office, and upstairs at the Hôtel de Ville.