I suppose this blog wouldn't be complete without an entry that references the church Santa María del Mar. It is my favorite church in Barcelona. If you know me at all you know that I am not much for attending church services and I have some serious disagreements with the Catholic Church. However, I really love visiting churches and cathedrals, particularly in Europe. I find them very serene. Sitting in one when the tourists have gone is completely calming. I can feel the history and spirituality that lives there. So, on Friday I took a walk through the Borne neighborhood and along the port, stopping along the way to eat lunch and to sit in my favorite church.
Santa María del Mar was built in the Catalan gothic style in the 14th century (between 1329 and 1383) when it was closer to the sea than it is now. I've been told that it was the mariner's church but I'm not sure how true that really is. It's a nice thought, though. Being in the gothic style, it is a fairly severe and spare church, but there is something about its austerity that I find comforting and beautiful. Plus, it's in the middle of the one of the coolest neighborhoods in Barcelona.
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