Santa Maria del Pi Barcelona

There is an undocumented tradition in which some historians reflected on the existence of a paleo-Christian church in the year 413.  In the year 987 there was outside the wall to the west of Barcelona, a small Romanesque church dedicated to Santa Maria del Pi.

The current temple was built between the years 1319-1320 and 1391. It is of pure Gothic style, consisting of a nave almost devoid of ornament. There was a fire, and when restored, it became more modern, making it a Gothic cathedral on the front and at the rear a neogothic area.

The main facade has a large central rosette, consistent with the style of the gothic church and its overall diameter is 10 meters. The rosette is a faithful reconstruction of the original, made in 1940 before it was destroyed by fire in 1936.

The tympanum of the main gate is divided by two columns that make up three small chapels and in the middle is the image of the holder. Above the image are the shields of the city and the parish. At the ends of the base of the drum there are two cones which, along with pine shield, show the name of the church.

The front side presents the buttresses where the arches and vaults of the nave are. In the middle of this facade is the door of the Hail Mary, which retains some elements from the Romanesque portal of the church before.

Finally, the building shows the buttresses and windows of the apse. It retains an old door, from 1578, which gave access to the temple from the back. Over time buildings have been built that have hidden part of the primitive walls of the church.

The Belfry

This is one of the most characteristic elements of the building. It was built in the year 1379, and was designed by the architect Bartomeu Mas.  Its construction was completed around the year 1461. It is an octagonal structure, 54 meters high and the walls of the base has a bulk of 3.55 meters. It has a set of six bells, of which the highest is “Antonio”, with a diameter of 1.40 meters and weight of 1806 kilograms.

The interior
Inside the church

The floor of the church has a rectangular nave covered with a vault, with side chapels between the buttresses. The internal length is 54 meters, width 16.50 meters and height of 27 meters. The height of the side chapels is 12.20 meters. The fire of 1936 burned down the altar, pictures, seating and the monumental body of work of Johan Kyburz.

The altar is a table of alabaster by the architect Joaquim Ros i Ramis. It was inaugurated in 1967. At the bottom of the presbytery, where formerly there was a gateway to the temple, is the sanctum. The image that presides over the presbytery represents Santa Maria del Pi.  It has a height of 3.30 meters, and was built in 1973 by sculptor Enric Monjo.

The seating of the year 1771 Baroque was designed by Josep Mas i Dordal and was replaced in 1868 by a neo-Gothic. When it was burned in 1986 the earlier Baroque was reinstated.

The original windows have not been preserved. The oldest of which are currently from the year 1718.  The window of the Adoration of the Kings (on the door of the Hail Mary) is the work of Antoni Viladomato.