Church sights in Barcelona
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A
La Sagrada Família
If you only have time for one sightseeing outing, this should be it. La Sagrada Família inspires awe with its sheer verticality and, in the true manner of the great medieval cathedrals it emulates, it’s still not finished after more than 100 years. Work is proceeding apace, however, and it might be done between the 2020s and 2040s. If the work should be carried on is the subject of controversy, but Spain’s most visited monument was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in late 2010. The main nave is now open for daily mass. Feathers were much ruffled by the high-speed train tunnel project, on which work began in 2010, that will pass in front of the church under Carrer de Mallo…
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B
Temple del Sagrat Cor
The Church of the Sacred Heart, looming above the top funicular station, is meant to be Barcelona’s answer to Paris’ Sacré Cœur. It’s certainly equally as visible and even more vilified by aesthetes (perhaps with good reason). It’s actually two churches, one on top of the other. The top one is surmounted by a giant Christ and has a lift to the roof.
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C
Església de Santa Maria del Mar
The Església de Santa Maria del Mar is Barcelona’s finest Gothic church. Built in the 14th century, Santa Maria was lacking in superfluous decoration even before anarchists gutted it in 1909 and 1936. This only serves to highlight its fine proportions, purity of line and sense of space. You may occasionally catch an evening recital of baroque music.
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D
Església de Sant Pau
The best example of Romanesque architecture in the city is the dainty little cloister of this church. Set in a somewhat dusty garden, the 12th-century church also boasts some Visigothic sculptural detail on the main entrance.
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