Bare Bones: Santa Maria del Mar

The art critic and historian Robert Hughes once claimed that there is no grander or more solemn architectural space in Spain than the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.

Considered an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic architecture, the foundation stone was laid in 1329 and the church was completed in an impressive 54 years. According to chronicles from the time, the construction was a combined effort by the working classes of the city. For more than 50 years, stone slabs were hauled from Montjuïc to the site in the Born, for a church built by the workers, for the workers. A tribute to the stone carriers (bastaixos) can be found on the front doors of the building, a testament to their hard work and Santa Maria del Mar’s status as a church of the people.

The interior is what gives the church its awe factor. In contrast to the bulky exterior, the exposed internal structure of the building gives the impression of immense light and space—unlike many of Barcelona’s other Gothic churches, which tend to be darker and more cluttered inside.

However, it wasn’t always so bare. The starkness of the present-day interior emerged as the result of an arson attack carried out, ironically, by the workers of the city. At the start of the military rebellion in July 1936, which plunged Spain into almost three years of bloody civil war, there was a violent outburst against the Church as an institution, which the workers considered to be in alliance with the military and oligarchy.

As you walk through the main entrance and look up to the ceiling, you’ll notice that the stone vaults are blackened, charred from the fire that was intentionally started to destroy the church and its contents. Santa Maria del Mar, then filled with ornate side chapels, a baroque altar, an 18th-century organ and a huge wooden choir stall, as well as textiles, paintings and sculptures, was set alight and burned for 11 days. The structure almost collapsed under the intense heat.

The blaze was finally extinguished, but not before most of the decor was reduced to ashes, revealing the naked stone structure that is so admired today. As Hughes observed: “Consequently only the original bones of Santa Maria del Mar are left, but the bones are so beautiful one finds it hard to regret the loss.” 

Published March 2018, updated January 14, 2024.