Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, located in the El Born district, in the La Ribera area, is one of the most beautiful and prime examples of Gothic-era buildings. It also served as the setting for the famous book by Spanish author Ildefonso Falcones, “Cathedral of the Sea.” If you’ve read this book, a visit to the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar is certainly a must!

What to see and do at the Basilica Santa Maria del Mar

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar is considered the best and most complete example of Catalan Gothic architecture. Unlike other buildings from that era, which took centuries to build and thus changed styles many times, this basilica was built in just 55 years in a purely Gothic style.

Santa Maria del Mar from the outside

As you approach the imposing basilica, take note of the large rose window, the towers, and the Gothic sculptures on the façade of the building. The square in front of the basilica, Plaça de Santa Maria, is also always bustling with tourists and people sitting on the terraces.

Santa Maria del Mar from the inside

Inside, Santa Maria del Mar boasts an interior with exceptionally high ceilings and endless, slender columns.

The layout with three naves of almost equal height, austere and towering columns, each 13 meters apart from each other, is not seen in any other medieval construction in the world. An impressive place where light and space are central.

On the sides of the basilica, there are several chapels, all dedicated to different saints, where candles are lit.

The beautifully decorated windows with stained glass are one of the other highlights of your visit. You can see these up close from the first floor behind the altar. Some beautiful examples to look out for are the ‘vidriera de la Ascensión’, in the Santa Maria chapel and the ‘vidriera del Lavatorio’ in the San Rafael chapel.

Fun fact: in one of the stained glass windows of the Gothic Santa Maria del Mar, the shield of FC Barcelona is engraved because the club sponsored the reconstruction of the window in 1974. Can you find it?

If you look at the floor, you will find individual graves and tombs of brotherhoods, guilds, and merchants from the Middle Ages.

The current altar was placed in 1965. In the crypt under the altar, the relics are kept, and an audiovisual clip about Santa Maria del Mar is shown.

Note: to visit the roof of Santa Maria del Mar, you must join a guided tour.

Mass in Santa Maria del Mar

The basilica still serves as a place of worship and holds mass every day at 7:30 pm. On Sundays and holidays, an international mass is also held at 12:00 pm. On special occasions such as Christmas Eve and Easter, masses are also organized.

Baptisms, weddings, and other ceremonies can also take place in Santa Maria del Mar, although there is a rather long waiting list.

Fossar de les Moreres

After visiting the basilica, also take a look at Plaça Fossar de les Moreres, which is on the right side of the basilica. The Fossar was originally the cemetery of Santa Maria del Mar but was turned into a mass grave after the city’s defeat in 1714.

Here lie the victims of the siege of Barcelona in 1714. A monument with a long torch with an always-burning flame reminds us of this.

Casa Gispert

One of the oldest shops in the district is Casa Gispert, which is located on the left rear side of Santa Maria del Mar. Here Barcelonians come to buy all kinds of grains, roasted coffee, and nuts. The old display case and the way all the products are stacked take you back in time.

Eating near Santa Maria del Mar

In the immediate vicinity of Santa Maria del Mar, you will find many terraces, cozy bars, and delicious restaurants for dining out. Some of my favorites are the famous tapas bar El Xampanyet, Casa Nova for a tasty lunch menu, Bubó for something sweet, and La Vinya del Senyor for a wine with the most beautiful view of the “cathedral of the sea.”

History of Santa Maria del Mar

The importance of La Ribera as a district for merchants and seamen in the 13th century led to the construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. It was built on the site of the old parish Parroquia de las Arenas. At this site, the martyr and patron saint of Barcelona, Santa Eulàlia, was buried in 303.

The construction of the church began in 1329 at the initiative of the believers from the harbor area La Ribera, then called Vilanova del Mar, and ended in 1383. The construction was completed under the direction of architects Berenguer de Montagut and Ramon Despuig. The entire population of La Ribera participated in the construction, for example, by carrying stones from the city hill Montjuïc to the temple, or they donated money to finance the construction of the church.

Although the rich decoration was destroyed during the riots of 1936 and the large rose window was destroyed in 1428 during a great earthquake, there are still original sculptures and gravestones to see. The restoration work of recent years has brought back the splendor of this Gothic basilica and made it undoubtedly even more beautiful.

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Interesting facts about Santa Maria del Mar

• Santa Maria del Mar is sometimes called the ‘Cathedral of the Sea.’ This is because Santa Maria del Mar is located in the La Ribera neighborhood, which used to border the port of Barcelona. Moreover, the basilica was built stone by stone by its neighborhood residents, most of them bastaixos (workers in loading and unloading ships). After a long workday, these men came to the construction site to bring stones from the Montjuïc mountain here. A reminder of this hard work can be found on the leftmost column at the main entrance, where the bastaixos with the large building stones are depicted.
• Santa Maria del Mar was built in less than 100 years; at that time, and with the means of that time, it was a Guinness Book of Records-worthy achievement. As a result, the basilica has been beautifully preserved in one style.
• In one of the many stained glass windows that adorn the basilica, there is a small image of the shield of FC Barcelona. You can find this on the right side behind the altar, on top of a somewhat more modern stained glass window of the Olympic Games. The Barça shield is very small so you have to pay close attention. It was placed because Barça sponsored the reconstruction of this window in 1974.
• In honor of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, the somewhat more modern stained glass window by José Fernández Castrillo was placed in the Capilla Santo Cristo Crucifijado in 1995.
• On the floor of Santa Maria del Mar, you will see various gravestones with letters and drawings that have not disappeared despite their age. The tombstones with skulls are often seen and are the most striking. They are located where multiple people are buried. The commercial and associative character of the district is reflected in the gravestones placed by the different guilds and brotherhoods: for example, the boat stands for the gremi de pescadors (for the sailors), the scissors for the gremi de sastres (for the clothing makers), and so on.

Tickets for Santa Maria del Mar

You need tickets to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm and on Sunday from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, but the rest of the day entry is free. Admission tickets cost €5 per person and are only available for purchase on-site. If you want to visit the roof of the basilica, you must pay an additional €3 and join the guided tour.

If you pay the entrance fee, you will receive a map and a brief explanation of what you can see at the entrance.

Guided tours at Santa Maria del Mar

Instead of going on your own, you can also join a guide to learn more interesting aspects of the history and religious significance of this basilica.

This 40-minute tour also includes a visit to the roof of Santa Maria del Mar, which offers breathtaking views of the basilica and the neighborhood, and the crypt, where relics are kept.

The guided tours in English take place at 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. The cost of the tour is €8 per person (€10 if you also want to visit the crypt). Tickets for the tour can be purchased online or at the church entrance.

Visiting Santa Maria del Mar for Free

If you prefer not to pay an entrance fee, you can visit the Basilica Santa Maria del Mar in the morning and evening. Between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm (on Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and from 5:00

How to get to Santa Maria del Mar

To go to the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar, you can take the metro to Jaume I (L4) and then follow the street Carrer de l’Argenteria towards the sea until you reach Plaça de Santa Maria. There, you will find the main entrance of the basilica.