ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to analyse the extent to which patrons influenced the construction of the cathedral of Tarragona. Rather than concentrating solely on the figures of archbishops, who have been the focus of most research up to now, we will use the material evidence available (epigraphs, iconography, texts) to analyse the role of other key players in the building’s design. In this regard, the members of the clergy are shown to have been active participants in the design and construction of the cathedral, irrespective of their standing within the community. Consequently, the first part of this article will focus on determining the precise role that they played in this process. At the same time, the fact that we are also investigating the singular heraldic emblems exhibited by certain imposts in the cloister means that we can trace their complex and extended chronology in much greater detail.
In general, despite the biased and confusing documentary sources available to us, we aim to provide an analysis that brings together prosopographical sources which will allow us to determine the role of the patrons in relation to their economic, political, social and religious context, both within and outside the ecclesiastical setting. Only in this way will we be able to understand certain singularities exhibited by this exceptional edifice, which, as we shall see, was clearly erected to provide a setting for the manifestation of power.
