Catalan glory
The first mention of a church on the site of Santa Maria del Mar dates from 998. The area around this small chapel grew into the thriving port district of Barcelona, busy with merchants, fishermen, trading vessels, builders and craftsmen. The majestic building we see today was created by master builder Berenguer de Montagut using stone from the nearby mountain Montjuïc, and completed in 1383, during Catalonia’s prime as a centre of maritime commerce.
While it looks rather imposing from outside, the church’s interior is bright and spacious. In 1936, during the Civil War, a fire blazed inside the church for eleven days and sadly destroyed much of its magnificent decoration, including a Baroque altarpiece. Fortunately, some of the stained glass windows on the top levels were high enough to escape the flames and can still be admired by visitors today.
Sacred circumference
Careful restorations to the church have ensured the retention of its distinctive and elegant Catalonian Gothic style. It follows the ad quadratum ideal of sacred geometry: a high ceiling of intertwining arches is supported by thick octagonal columns, creating a huge space of perfect circumference - 33m wide and 33m high.
In 1965, the remains of the Baroque altar were excavated and replaced; a Roman necropolis was discovered beneath, and was remodelled into a functional crypt in which the relics of St. Cugat del Rec have been held since 2000. Many important saints have worshipped here over the years, and the church remains an important devotional centre for the Catholic faith today, taking an active role in the local community and offering charity to those in need.
