Santa Maria del Mar
With the kids back in school (who knows for how long) it seemed a good time to venture forth into the old city again. Thanks to the city bike share ('bicing') I can do this without using public transit. Getting a bike up in the hills is not all that easy these days – I suspect usage has increased substantially, as people avoid buses and subways to a greater extent. After a trek down to Sagrada Familia to find a bike, I rode down to the Born and visited Santa Maria del Mar.
The 14th century church exemplifies the sober Catalan gothic, according to the church literature. The plan is very simple, with no transept and a continuous wrapper of shallow rectangular chapels which aren't articulated on the exterior.
Distinctive characteristics of the basilica are a ring of 8 soaring columns that surround the altar,
a nice twentieth century crypt,
and an austere, shallow gallery around the apse.
The Born district was not deserted by any means, but was peaceful compared to a typical pre-pandemic day.
