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.

Exterior įrom the outside, Santa Maria gives an impression of massive severity that belies the interior. The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, adjacent to the apse, was added in the 19th century. The church survived even though it was on fire for 11 days. 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 new rose window, in the Flamboyant style, was finished by 1459 and one year later the glass was added. The 1428 Catalonia earthquake caused several casualties and destroyed the rose window in the west end.

Finally, on 3 November 1383 the last stone was laid and on 15 August 1384 the church was consecrated. In 1379 there was a fire that damaged important parts of the works. The walls, the side chapels and the façades were finished by 1350. The architects in charge were Berenguer de Montagut (designer of the building) and Ramon Despuig, and during the construction all the guilds of the Ribera quarter were involved. Construction work started on 25 March 1329, when the foundation stone was laid by king Alfonso IV of Aragon as commemorated by a tablet in Latin and Catalan on the façade that faces the Fossar de les Moreres.

One of the distinctive features of Santa Maria del Mar was its backing by the common people, as opposed to the nobility. The construction of the present building was promoted by the canon Bernat Llull, who was appointed Archdean of Santa Maria in 1324. The first mention of a church of Santa Maria by the Sea dates from 998. It is an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic, with a purity and unity of style that is very unusual in large medieval buildings.

Santa Maria del Mar ( Catalan pronunciation:, ' Saint Mary of the Sea') is a church in the Ribera district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, built between 13 at the height of Principality of Catalonia's maritime and mercantile preeminence.

Catedral del mar book