Santa Maria del Mar
St Mary’s of the Sea, dating from the 14th century, is the city’s purest example of the Catalan Gothic style. Solid and sober on the outside, the basilica’s interior is a masterpiece of space and light, and the influence on Gaudí’s Sagrada Família six centuries later is obvious. Three soaring naves are supported by slender octagonal columns that sprout as they reach the ceiling. Stained-glass windows from various eras—the most recent commemorating the 1992 Olympics—flood the aisles with color. The church was sacked by anarchists at the start of the Civil War in 1936 and burned for 11 days, which explains the almost total absence of religious trappings.
St Mary’s of the Sea, dating from the 14th century, is the city’s purest example of the Catalan Gothic style. Solid and sober on the outside, the basilica’s interior is a masterpiece of space and light, and the influence on Gaudí’s Sagrada Família six centuries later is obvious. Three soaring naves are supported by slender octagonal columns that sprout as they reach the ceiling. Stained-glass windows from various eras—the most recent commemorating the 1992 Olympics—flood the aisles with color. The church was sacked by anarchists at the start of the Civil War in 1936 and burned for 11 days, which explains the almost total absence of religious trappings.
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