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Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi
Ten meters across! That's the size of the massive rose window towering above you at Santa Maria del Pi, making it the biggest in all of Catalonia. This Gothic church got its name from a legendary pine tree where a fisherman saw the Virgin Mary in a vision right here in Plaça del Pi. The colorful window you're staring at isn't the original though... it's actually a perfect copy made by one of Antoni Gaudí's best helpers after anarchists burned down the church in 1936! Listen carefully and you might hear Antònia, the giant bell that's so loud she can be heard echoing through Barcelona's entire Gothic Quarter from that octagonal tower above.
Did You Know?
- The Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi is named after a solitary pine tree (pi means 'pine' in Catalan) that once stood in one of its surrounding plazas—originally medieval graveyards—and still gives the church and its squares a unique connection to nature.
- Despite its serene appearance, the basilica has endured dramatic historical events: it was damaged by a major earthquake in 1428, bombed during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, and gutted by fire during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, only to be restored each time, making it a resilient symbol of Barcelona’s history.
- The basilica boasts the largest rose window in Catalonia—a stunning Gothic feature that was meticulously recreated by Josep Maria Jujol, Antoni Gaudí’s collaborator, after the original was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War; inside, you can also find some of the country’s highest cross-vaulted ceilings and original Baroque stained glass by Josep Ravella.