Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona

Barcelona‘s Ribera district is dominated by Santa Maria del Mar, an imposing church built between 1329 and 1383, at the height of Catalonia's maritime and mercantile preeminence. It is an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic, with a purity and unity of style that are very unusual in large mediaeval buildings.

This article is about the church in Barcelona. For other uses, see Santa María del Mar (disambiguation).

Barcelona‘s Ribera district is dominated by Santa Maria del Mar, an imposing church built between 1329 and 1383, at the height of Catalonia's maritime and mercantile preeminence. It is an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic, with a purity and unity of style that are very unusual in large mediaeval buildings.

History

The first mention of a church of Santa Maria by the sea dates from 998. The construction of the present building was promoted by the canon Bernat Llull, who was appointed archdean of Santa Maria in 1324. Construction work started on 25 March 1329, when the foundation stone was laid by king Alfons the Kind, as commemorated by a tablet in Latin and Catalan on the facade that gives onto Fossar de les Moreres. The architects in charge were Berenguer de Montagut (designer of the building) and Ramón Despuig, and during the construction all the guilds of the Ribera quarter were involved. The walls, the side chapels and the facades were finished by 1350. In 1379 there was a fire that damaged important parts of the works. Finally, on 3 November 1383 the last stone was added and on 15 August the first mass was celebrated[]. In 1428 an earthquake caused several casualties and destroyed the rose window in the west end. The new window, in the Flamboyant style, was finished by 1459 and one year later the glass was added. The images and the Baroque altar were destroyed in a fire in 1936. The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, adjacent to the apse, was added in the 19th century.

Exterior

From the outside, Santa Maria gives an impression of massive severity that belies the interior. It is hemmed in by the narrow streets of the Ribera, making it difficult to obtain an overall impression, except from the Fossar de les Moreres and the Plaça de Santa Maria, both of them former burial grounds. The latter is dominated by the west end of the church with its rose window. Images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul occupy niches on either side of the west door, and the tympanum shows the Saviour flanked by Our Lady and Saint John.

The north-west tower was completed in 1496, but its companion was not finished until 1902.;

Interior

In contrast with the exterior, the interior gives an impression of light and spaciousness. It is of the basilica type, with its three aisles forming a single space with no transepts and no architectural boundary between nave and presbytery. The simple ribbed vault is supported on slender octagonal columns, and abundant daylight streams in through the tall clerestorey windows.

The interior is almost devoid of imagery of the sort to be found in Barcelona's other large Gothic churches, the cathedral and Santa Maria del Pi, after the fire which occurred in 1936 during anticlerical disturbances. Amongst the most notable of the works destroyed at that time was the Baroque retable by Deodat Casanoves and Salvador Gurri.

Some interesting stained-glass windows have survived from various periods.

Proportions

According to the art historian Josep Bracons, the basic unit of measurement used in Santa Maria del Mar was the mediaeval foot of 33 centimetres. Measured in this way, the side chapels are 10 feet deep, the width of the side aisles is double this, while the central aisle is four times as wide, that is, 40 feet. The total width of the church is thus 100 mediaeval feet, which is also equal to the maximum height of the building.

Santa Maria del Mar in popular culture

The construction of Santa Maria del Mar is the background for the best-selling novel La catedral del mar, by Ildefonso Falcones (Grijalbo, 2006).

References

External links

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Apartment Barcelona
17 October 2012
This awe-inspiring 14th Centrury Gothic style church offers visitors an up-close look at the purest form of Catalan architectural designs...a must-see on your trip to Barcelona! http://bit.ly/SZ7KLn
Dailyflats
14 September 2012
This is one of the most beautiful churches in Barcelona and a symbol of catalan gothic architecture. It is wider than high, and hasn't got any crosses nor gold inside. Absolutely a wonderful place.
mafaldaq
6 March 2014
The church has 2 entrances. You can enter the church using both of them. Remember this when you find yourself at the middle and you get a red line that will forbid you to go to the other side!
Cheen The Curious
23 April 2022
Did u know? The spacing of the columns within the church is the widest of any Gothic church in Europe. About 43 feet apart, from center to center. Source: Wikipedia
Murat
12 October 2023
Must see! One of the major touristic attractions, well respected by locals. Limited opening 6-8pm, free. Fantastic glassware job! Logo of FCB is on the left, at the end, middle column of last glass.
JH H-D
26 October 2022
Move over cathedral de Barcelona, this is the “real” cathedral for the locals! The more gothic inspired exterior and interior are well preserved.
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Map
Carrer de Santa Maria, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Get directions
Fri-Sun 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
Mon-Tue Noon–9:00 PM
Wed 11:00 AM–9:00 PM

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