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Painted in French Romanesque style, this is one of the museum’s most complete church interiors (c.1100). The boldly kinetic Stoning of St Stephen is set beside a dramatic depiction of heaven and hell. Other scenes depict saints in heaven, animals and minstels.

Among the most important examples of European Romanesque is the Taüll interior, a melange of Byzantine, French and Italian influences. The apse is dominated by Christ in Majesty and the symbols of the four Evangelists and the Virgin, with the apostels beneath.

This outstanding 12th-century sculpture came from a series that evolved in Catalonia and the Pyrenees. Mary sits rigid in flowing robes, acting as a human throne for the young Christ, who raises his hand in blessing.

This splendid, mid-12th-century wooden carving depicts Christ on the cross with open eyes and no signs of suffring, because he has defeated death. He is clothed in royal robes .

The well-preserved interior of Santa Maria de Taüll (c.1123) gives an idea of how incredibly colourful the Romanesque churches must have been. The symbolism concentrates on Jesus’s early life, with scenes of the Wise Men and John the Baptist.

This late 11th-century apse is dominated by a seraph, its six wings disconcertingly covered in eyes. The Latin inscription reads “Holy, holy, holy” as the angel reaches out with burning hot coals to purify the words of the prophets Isaiah and Elijah.

This life-sized work (c.1352) of stone and wood reveals a Gothic Christ consumed by pain and ecstasy. It is thought to be by court sculptor Jaume Cascalls.

Commissioned by Barcelona’s city council in 1443, this work by Lluis Dalmau is rich in political symbolism. It reveals the head councillors, supported by saints and martyrs, kneeling before a regally enthroned Virgin.

This altarpiece (1463–85), by master painter Jaume Huguet, is a dramatic illustration of the wealth of the medieval Church.

A collection of mostly Renaissance and Baroque art, donated by Francesc Cambó. Work by Flemish artists such as Rubens reveal the transformation from Gothic to Rennaissance, while the darker visions of Goya and Zurbarán represent Spain’s 18th-century Golden Age.