Barcelona - St Mary of the Sea

(Local Name: Santa Maria del Mar) On the Carrer Montcada, a little way south of the Museu Picasso, stands the church of Santa Maria del Mar (1329-83), a triple-aisled Gothic edifice with no transept. After the Cathedral it is the most important ecclesiastical building in the city. It occupies the site of a Late Roman necropolis where, according to legend, St Eulalia was buried.

A large rose-window opens above the richly decorated main door; the sumptuous interior gives an harmonious impression of space. Most of the stained glass dates from the 15th-17th C.; in the chapel near the left side door can be seen a black Madonna. Note also the stone bosses in the vaulting; the Coronation of Or Lady is depicted above the main altar. On the main altar stands a Gothic statue of the Madonna, and infront of it a model of an old trading ship. Below the raised chancel is the entrance to the crypt. The church is currently undergoing restoration work, so access cannot be guaranteed.