Barcelona Guide
La Ribera
Església de Santa María del Mar
Opening time: Daily 9am–1.30pm & 4.30–8pm; Sun choral Mass at 1pm
La Ribera's flagship church of Santa María del Mar was begun on the order of King Jaume II in 1324, and finished in only five years. Built on what was the seashore in the fourteenth century, the church was at the heart of the medieval city's maritime and trading district, and it came to embody the supremacy of the Crown of Aragon (of which Barcelona was capital) in Mediterranean commerce.
Built quickly, and therefore consistent in style, it's an exquisite example of Catalan-Gothic architecture, with a wide nave and high, narrow aisles, and for all its restrained exterior decoration is still much dearer to the heart of the average local than the cathedral, the only other church in the city with which it compares. The Baroque trappings were destroyed during the Civil War, which is probably all to the good, since the long-term restoration work has concentrated on showing off the simple spaces of the interior; the stained glass, especially, is beautiful.