Sobre Religion (Religious Sites)

BARCELONA
In the center of Barcelona closer to the port area is the majestic Basilica Maria del Santa del Mar. It was first begun in 1329 and it was completed in 1383. The interior looks its age in some regards, like it is about to crumble in places but the more you look, the more you are amazed at is strength, age, strong high arches, and overall beauty.

 a side entrance

 the awesome high ceilings and streaks of light

In the front of the church is a plaza with several restaurants offering outdoor seating.  We sat and drank beers and watched all the action around here.  It reminded us of sitting in the plaza in Strasbourg.

So the Catedral de Barcelona is equally fabulous and looks similar.  It was built around the same time, started in 1298 and finished in the early 1400's.  It is actually built on top of a "paleo-Christian basilica"...they have excavated some of it below the cathedral.  The cathedral has more ornamentation in it...the ceilings look just like the Basilica, high with this beautiful soft light washing the walls.

So the story of this Cathedral surrounds a very young girl named Eulalia who lived 290-302.  She became a martyr at the hands of the Romans...gruesome story if true (but it sounds very exaggerated or written by someone who wanted to enrage the people to create more fear).   "The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city. One story says that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulàlia). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral's crypt."   We walked around but did not pay to see ther tomb. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_Cathedral

 this shows the main altar

 This is a statue of the Black Madonna, with the original one at Montserrat.  (See below.)

"The Cathedral's organ is of great artistic, liturgical and historical importance. It is inside the nave, under the bell tower, in the upper gallery over the door of Saint Ivo. It was built between 1537 and 1539..." (They have performances each month.) http://catedralbcn.org/index.phpoption=com_content&view=article&id=41&Itemid=92&lang=en

There was a garden/ patio that had geese in a fountains...we learned later that these are 13 geese to recognize the age of Eulalia.

MONTSERRAT (northeast of Barcelona)
We took a school tour of the Montserrat in the hills about 70 kilometers north of Barcelona, an old monastery where still 80 priests live.  THIS WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL....the church and the views.  This area inspired Gaudi, namely the cylindrical shapes of the mountains.  It was first built to honor the statue of the "Black Virgin Mary" that was found in a cave here in the late 1200's.

The monastery is up high in the mountains, very windy roads to get to this place.

This is inside the monastery...it has a big church with beautiful sculptures.

A view of the monastery from the cross positioned on an opposing hillside.

approaching the monastery itself

This is art work to portray the Virgin Mary...the statue that was found in a cave by several shepherd boys in late 1200's.   The statue is also on display but the line was too long and we didn't have the time to view it.  The skin of the Virgin Mary has turned black over time, so they call her "La Morena" or the Black Virgin Mary.  There are many images of her sold on various souvenirs.
The Black Madonna

We hiked about 25 minutes to another cliff side to get to this site with a big cross.  Along the way are places for you to meditate, and even a small chapel is near here.