The Santa Maria Del Mar For Villas In Catalonia Wrapped In Beauty And History

This year when you are on your villas in Catalonia take a day out and venture over to the vibrant city of Barcelona for a short visit

. One place to put at the top of your list of places to visit has to be the Santa Maria del Mar. This church is one of the important landmarks of Barcelona. Sitting in the middle of the La Ribera district, the Santa Maria del Mar has towers built like a fortress. Most of the prominent attractions are inside the church, especially look at the huge pillars that support the roof of this Gothic church. When this church was built the design was considered to be way ahead on its time as it was unique and groundbreaking.

As far as churches go it was built in record time: it took only 55 years to complete, not hundreds of years like most of them. The master builder Berenguer de Montagut finished in time for its consecration in 1384. What makes it so unique is its uniform look which was achieved by the short construction period; there were no major architectural changes during this time span.

The location of the Santa Maria del Mar church is important in religious history starting with the early Christian period. It is believed that the apostle James preached here. As a result a small chapel was built on this location near villas in Catalonia. The body of the Holy Eulalia was buried here in 304 only to be hidden by the Arabs in the 8th century and found fifteen years later. They were once again laid to rest in the newly consecrated cathedral in 1339.

The Santa Maria del Mar can claim to be the only Gothic church built in one architectural period. In 1714 the church was partially destroyed by the Spanish war of succession. The next catastrophe to hit the church happened in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War when fire wrecked most of the interior. There was a large part of the stained glass that had to be completely rebuilt. It wasn't until 1990 that the reconstruction and restoration had been completed.

At the very least when you are at your lodgings, do pay a visit to the interior of the church as it will amaze you from the first step you take over the threshold into the narrow nave. Then you will see the light flooding into the room in the form of subdued light from the stained-glass windows. Santa Maria del Mar's main nave has a special design. Included are only four narrow octagonal pillar couples to the detriment of an arch which is 13 metres wide. After you have explored the church take some time and visit the Carrer Santa Maria where you will find a small granite plate place there in 1714 commemorating the invasion of Spaniards.

by: Sue Parker

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