Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PIETRO CANALI / SIME / 4CORNERS ©
Don't Miss
Església de Santa Maria del Mar
At the southwest end of Passeig del Born stands the apse of Barcelona's finest Catalan
Gothic church, Santa Maria del Mar (Our Lady of the Sea). Built in the 14th century
with record-breaking alacrity for the time (it took just 54 years), the church is remark-
able for its architectural harmony and simplicity. During construction the city's
bas-
taixos
(porters) spent a day each week carrying on their backs the stone required to
build the church from royal quarries in Montjuïc. Their memory lives on in reliefs of
them in the main doors and stone carvings elsewhere in the church.
The exterior gives an impression of sternness, and the narrow streets surrounding it
are restrictive and claustrophobic. It may come as a (pleasant) surprise then, to find a
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