Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, Credit: PMRMaeyaert/Common

Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar

Barcelona, Hiszpania

The Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar is among the primary landmarks in the fascinating and highly popular old Gothic district of Barcelona. The Catalan Gothic style is remarkably preserved in the church’s exterior, and the exceptional acoustic conditions make Santa Maria del Mar an ideal space for concerts. The first reference to a church on the site of Santa Maria del Mar dates from the year 998. Alfons the Kind laid the first stone of the current building in 1329, and construction of the original church was completed in 1383. The construction of Santa Maria del Mar is the background for the best‐selling novel, “Cathedral of the Sea”, by Ildefonso Falcone.