Santa Maria del Mar is an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic, built between 1329 and 1383 at the height of Principality of Catalonia’s maritime and mercantile preeminence. The church was backed by the common people, as opposed to the nobility, and was promoted by the canon Bernat Llull, who was appointed Archdean of Santa Maria in 1324. Construction began on 25 March 1329, and the church was consecrated on 15 August 1384.
The 1428 earthquake caused the destruction of the rose window in the west end, which was replaced in the Flamboyant style and finished by 1459. Much of the church's decorative richness 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 church survived even though it was on fire for 11 days. Renovations following this fire began in 1938, but the damaged windows were not replaced until the 1960s.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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