BERENGUER DE MONTAGUT

The parish church of Santa Mar�a del Mar was considered the church of seafarers and merchants, who sailed the seven seas and conquered foreign lands under her patronage. The construction was begun in 1329 and the church was consecrated in 1384. The first architect was Berenguer de Montagut. He was succeeded by Ramon Despuig, then Guillem Metge, who died before the building was consecrated.

Like most churches of Catalan Gothic, the exterior of Santa Mar�a del Mar is compact and plain. The brick walls are articulated by only two off-sets and flying buttresses emerge from the heavy building only at the level of the upper story. Even the west front is sober, giving no indication that it conceals one of the grandest of Gothic interiors.

The interior is overwhelming, not least because of the striking contrast with the narrow alleys of the Barrio de la Ribera district of Barcelona where the church is located. Broad, harmonious proportions and subtle natural lighting lend the space an almost celestial sublimity. It is unadorned: plain octagonal piers support the vault, and the moldings are reduced to the minimum mass so that the architecture can speak for itself.

View the ground plan of Santa Mar�a del Mar, Barcelona.

The kingdom of Majorca, which was independent between 1276 and 1349, provided important new buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The foundations were laid for the main churches in the capital, Palma de Mallorca. Founded in the 13th century, but partially completed only in the 14th and 15th centuries, the parish church of Santa Eulalia (begun 1250), the Franciscan church of San Francisco (largely complete by 1286), and the cathedral of Santa Mar�a are the most important monuments of medieval Majorcan church architecture.

The cathedral, built over a Moorish mosque, whose foundation walls were preserved until 1412, is a building that has an extraordinary effect as a feature of the townscape. For its entire length the body of the church is articulated by a system of massive, close-set supporting walls and buttresses that lend the 110-metre sides a graphic verticality reminiscent of iron bars.

The external buttresses correspond to eight narrow bays in the interior, which comprises a nave, aisles, and chapels. The nave and aisles were built around 1369 using slender octagonal supports for a 42-metre high vault, the rose window at the west end was also constructed at this time.

The layout, elegance, and technical brilliance of the support system suggest that the Catalan master mason Berenguer de Montagut was summoned to Majorca for this major project. The markedly varying height of nave and aisles, and the typical external buttressing, however, also support the notion of north European influences.

The photo shows a view from west.

The kingdom of Majorca, which was independent between 1276 and 1349, provided important new buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The foundations were laid for the main churches in the capital, Palma de Mallorca. Founded in the 13th century, but partially completed only in the 14th and 15th centuries, the parish church of Santa Eulalia (begun 1250), the Franciscan church of San Francisco (largely complete by 1286), and the cathedral of Santa Mar�a are the most important monuments of medieval Majorcan church architecture.

The cathedral, built over a Moorish mosque, whose foundation walls were preserved until 1412, is a building that has an extraordinary effect as a feature of the townscape. For its entire length the body of the church is articulated by a system of massive, close-set supporting walls and buttresses that lend the 110-metre sides a graphic verticality reminiscent of iron bars.

The external buttresses correspond to eight narrow bays in the interior, which comprises a nave, aisles, and chapels. The nave and aisles were built around 1369 using slender octagonal supports for a 42-metre high vault, the rose window at the west end was also constructed at this time.

The layout, elegance, and technical brilliance of the support system suggest that the Catalan master mason Berenguer de Montagut was summoned to Majorca for this major project. The markedly varying height of nave and aisles, and the typical external buttressing, however, also support the notion of north European influences.

The photo shows the exterior seen from the sea.

The kingdom of Majorca, which was independent between 1276 and 1349, provided important new buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The foundations were laid for the main churches in the capital, Palma de Mallorca. Founded in the 13th century, but partially completed only in the 14th and 15th centuries, the parish church of Santa Eulalia (begun 1250), the Franciscan church of San Francisco (largely complete by 1286), and the cathedral of Santa Mar�a are the most important monuments of medieval Majorcan church architecture.

The cathedral, built over a Moorish mosque, whose foundation walls were preserved until 1412, is a building that has an extraordinary effect as a feature of the townscape. For its entire length the body of the church is articulated by a system of massive, close-set supporting walls and buttresses that lend the 110-metre sides a graphic verticality reminiscent of iron bars.

The external buttresses correspond to eight narrow bays in the interior, which comprises a nave, aisles, and chapels. The nave and aisles were built around 1369 using slender octagonal supports for a 42-metre high vault, the rose window at the west end was also constructed at this time.

The layout, elegance, and technical brilliance of the support system suggest that the Catalan master mason Berenguer de Montagut was summoned to Majorca for this major project. The markedly varying height of nave and aisles, and the typical external buttressing, however, also support the notion of north European influences.

The photo shows the exterior seen from the sea.

The parish church of Santa Mar�a del Mar was considered the church of seafarers and merchants, who sailed the seven seas and conquered foreign lands under her patronage. The construction was begun in 1329 and the church was consecrated in 1384. The first architect was Berenguer de Montagut. He was succeeded by Ramon Despuig, then Guillem Metge, who died before the building was consecrated.

Like most churches of Catalan Gothic, the exterior of Santa Mar�a del Mar is compact and plain. The brick walls are articulated by only two off-sets and flying buttresses emerge from the heavy building only at the level of the upper story. Even the west front is sober, giving no indication that it conceals one of the grandest of Gothic interiors.

The interior is overwhelming, not least because of the striking contrast with the narrow alleys of the Barrio de la Ribera district of Barcelona where the church is located. Broad, harmonious proportions and subtle natural lighting lend the space an almost celestial sublimity. It is unadorned: plain octagonal piers support the vault, and the moldings are reduced to the minimum mass so that the architecture can speak for itself.

The simple ground plan follows the traditions of Catalonia and southern France: there is a nave and aisles, with no pronounced transept, and the aisles and the chapels between the piers are carried round the choir. The aisles reach almost the same height as the nave, and give the building the appearance of a hall church. Aesthetically, the highlight is the arrangement of piers and vaulting in the apse, which allows the sunlight in as if from Heaven.

The picture shows the nave.

View the ground plan of Santa Mar�a del Mar, Barcelona.

The parish church of Santa Mar�a del Mar was considered the church of seafarers and merchants, who sailed the seven seas and conquered foreign lands under her patronage. The construction was begun in 1329 and the church was consecrated in 1384. The first architect was Berenguer de Montagut. He was succeeded by Ramon Despuig, then Guillem Metge, who died before the building was consecrated.

The simple ground plan follows the traditions of Catalonia and southern France: there is a nave and aisles, with no pronounced transept, and the aisles and the chapels between the piers are carried round the choir. The aisles reach almost the same height as the nave, and give the building the appearance of a hall church. Aesthetically, the highlight is the arrangement of piers and vaulting in the apse, which allows the sunlight in as if from Heaven.

The picture shows the ambulatory vault.

View the ground plan of Santa Mar�a del Mar, Barcelona.

The kingdom of Majorca, which was independent between 1276 and 1349, provided important new buildings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The foundations were laid for the main churches in the capital, Palma de Mallorca. Founded in the 13th century, but partially completed only in the 14th and 15th centuries, the parish church of Santa Eulalia (begun 1250), the Franciscan church of San Francisco (largely complete by 1286), and the cathedral of Santa Mar�a are the most important monuments of medieval Majorcan church architecture.

The cathedral, built over a Moorish mosque, whose foundation walls were preserved until 1412, is a building that has an extraordinary effect as a feature of the townscape. For its entire length the body of the church is articulated by a system of massive, close-set supporting walls and buttresses that lend the 110-metre sides a graphic verticality reminiscent of iron bars.

The external buttresses correspond to eight narrow bays in the interior, which comprises a nave, aisles, and chapels. The nave and aisles were built around 1369 using slender octagonal supports for a 42-metre high vault, the rose window at the west end was also constructed at this time.

The layout, elegance, and technical brilliance of the support system suggest that the Catalan master mason Berenguer de Montagut was summoned to Majorca for this major project. The markedly varying height of nave and aisles, and the typical external buttressing, however, also support the notion of north European influences.

The picture shows the nave and the aisles. In the interior the piers and walls are reduced to a masonic minimum.