Santa Maria del Pi

One of the best-loved churches in Barcelona, Santa Maria was founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in 1322 as a textbook example of Catalan Gothic – austere and wide, but with a rose window they claim is the largest in the world, along with some sturdy Romanesque sculpture around the portal.

The Anarchists burned out the interior during the Civil War, and most of the original stained glass was lost, but after the war it was replaced by the indefatigable Josep Maria Jujol.

The choir was built with a stone arch even shallower than the vault in Santa Eulàlia’s crypt in the cathedral. It was rebuilt in the 19th century, and everyone hopes it will last, because no one knows how to build the like today. The 54m bell tower, the tallest in the quarter, offer unique views across the city.