Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona
Santa Maria del Mar | ||
---|---|---|
Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar | ||
Consecrated 1384 | | |
Architecture | ||
Heritage designation | Bien de Interés Cultural | |
Architectural type | Catalan Gothic | |
Years built | 1329–1384 | |
Administration | ||
Archdiocese | Barcelona |
Santa Maria del Mar (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsantə məˈɾi.ə ðəl ˈmaɾ], "Saint Mary of the Sea") is a church in the Ribera district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, built between 1329 and 1383 at the height of Principality of Catalonia's maritime and mercantile preeminence. It is an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic, with a purity and unity of style that is very unusual in large medieval buildings.[1]
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
The 1428 Catalonia earthquake caused several casualties and destroyed the rose window in the west end.[3] The new rose window, in the Flamboyant style, was finished by 1459[1] and one year later the glass was added. Many of its decorative richness, the images and the Baroque altar were destroyed in a fire set by anti-clerical rioters at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The church survived even though it was on fire for 11 days.[4] The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, adjacent to the apse, was added in the 19th century.[3][5]
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.[1][3]
Interior
In contrast with the exterior, the interior gives an impression of light and spaciousness. It is of the
The interior is almost devoid of imagery of the sort to be found in Barcelona's other large Gothic churches, the
Some interesting stained-glass windows have survived from various periods.[1][3]
The spacing of the columns is the widest of any Gothic church in Europe—about forty-three feet apart, center to center.[6]
Proportions
According to the art historian Josep Bracons,[7] 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 medieval feet, which is also equal to the maximum height of the building.
In popular culture
- The construction of Santa Maria del Mar is the background for the best-selling novel La catedral del mar (Cathedral of the Sea), by Ildefonso Falcones (2006) which was subsequently adapted into a Netflix series in 2018
- The Corpus Christi Procession Leaving the Church of Santa Maria del Mar by Ramon Casas
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Floor plan
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The west end with its rose window, showing the proportions of the three aisles
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The east end, restored in 1967
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The porters (locally known as 'bastaixos') of La Ribera, who collaborated in the construction of the church transporting stones, are represented on the doors of the main entrance
References
- ^ a b c d e Cirici, Alexandre. Barcelona paso a paso, Barcelona, Editorial Teide, S.A. 2nd ed., 1981
- ^ "Arquebisbat de Barcelona: Parròquia de Santa Maria del Mar". Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d Hernàndez-Cros, Josep Emili (ed.). Catàleg del Patrimoni Arquitectònic Històrico-Artístic de la Ciutat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Ajuntament de Barcelona, 1987
- ^ "History".
- ISBN 9788487452406.
- ^ Hughes, Robert (7 December 2011). Barcelona (Kindle Locations 2833-2834). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
- ^ Bracons, Josep, "Bellesa, harmonia i proporció", Quadern supplement to El País, Barcelona ed., 9.11.2006