Basilica of La Mercè (Barcelona)
In the famous Gothic Quarter of Barcelona is the Basilica of La Mercè, a Baroque temple built between 1765 and 1775 by the famous architect José Mas Dordal in honour of the Virgin of Mercy, patroness saint of the Diocese of Barcelona. It is one of the most representative temples of Barcelona.
Like many other European temples, this basilica was built on the foundations of another medieval temple. The architectural design includes a Counter-Reformation plan in the shape of a Latin cross with a wide central nave and two side naves in front of the chapels. These are located between the Gothic-style buttresses, with a transept surmounted by a dome over the transept.
It is a temple of monumental dimensions, sublimely decorated with exquisite stucco and marble coverings, with complicated and complex latticework in its high tribunes. All this is done in a Rococo style that seeks to exalt an impressive sculpture of La Mare de Déu de la Mercè from the year 1361, work of the gothic artist Pere Moragues.
Its façade is just as sublime and impressive, with two bodies in height articulated by Corinthian pilasters. Its undulating wall of clear Borrominesque influence can be appreciated, as it seeks to obtain an integration of the entire complex. Greater visibility is due to the fact that at the time of its construction, the square in front of it did not exist and its original façade faced a closed street.
These details explain why the exterior complex uses concave forms that seek to give a greater spatiality to the entire complex, with the aim of breaking the monotony. The upper part of its façade is topped by a wide triangular pediment and a sculptural ensemble by Carlos Grau.
Over the centuries, this beautiful temple has undergone a series of additions such as the dome over its transept and a dressing room to worship the Virgin in 1888, as well as the restoration of the sculpture of Our Lady of Mercy in 1956.
Like many other European temples, this basilica was built on the foundations of another medieval temple. The architectural design includes a Counter-Reformation plan in the shape of a Latin cross with a wide central nave and two side naves in front of the chapels. These are located between the Gothic-style buttresses, with a transept surmounted by a dome over the transept.
It is a temple of monumental dimensions, sublimely decorated with exquisite stucco and marble coverings, with complicated and complex latticework in its high tribunes. All this is done in a Rococo style that seeks to exalt an impressive sculpture of La Mare de Déu de la Mercè from the year 1361, work of the gothic artist Pere Moragues.
Its façade is just as sublime and impressive, with two bodies in height articulated by Corinthian pilasters. Its undulating wall of clear Borrominesque influence can be appreciated, as it seeks to obtain an integration of the entire complex. Greater visibility is due to the fact that at the time of its construction, the square in front of it did not exist and its original façade faced a closed street.
These details explain why the exterior complex uses concave forms that seek to give a greater spatiality to the entire complex, with the aim of breaking the monotony. The upper part of its façade is topped by a wide triangular pediment and a sculptural ensemble by Carlos Grau.
Over the centuries, this beautiful temple has undergone a series of additions such as the dome over its transept and a dressing room to worship the Virgin in 1888, as well as the restoration of the sculpture of Our Lady of Mercy in 1956.
Location
Religious Buildings in Barcelona
Civil Buildings in Barcelona
Museums in Barcelona
