★★★★★ 5.0
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Iglesia de San Vicente de Sarrià
987 years. That's how long there's been a place of worship on this exact spot where you're standing on Carrer del Rector Voltà... but here's the kicker - the architects of this neoclassical beauty never finished their original plan! They intended to build TWO bell towers when construction began in 1781, but only completed the elegant octagonal one you see crowning the left side. You're looking at what locals call the "unfinished masterpiece" of old Sarrià, back when this neighborhood was its own independent town until Barcelona swallowed it up in 1921. The famous painter Jaume Huguet once created a stunning altarpiece for the Gothic church that stood here before - it was so magnificent they moved it to the National Art Museum when this neoclassical version replaced it in 1816. Notice that shell symbol above the entrance? That's your clue that this church sits right on the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Step inside and you'll discover intercommunicating side chapels that create secret passageways most visitors never notice, plus vibrant Noucentista murals hiding in plain sight.
Did You Know?
- The Iglesia de San Vicente de Sarrià stands on a site with documented religious activity since at least the 10th century, and possibly even the 5th century, making it one of the oldest continuously used Christian sites in Barcelona—a commemorative plaque on its facade proudly marks it as a 'thousand-year-old parish church'.
- The church once housed a magnificent Gothic altarpiece painted by the renowned medieval artist Jaume Huguet; today, this masterpiece is preserved in the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), but the church still displays other artistic treasures, including a Baroque altar dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary by Aguste Poo and striking Noucentista mural frescoes inside.
- Although the current Neoclassical building was designed by Josep Mas i Dordal in the late 18th century, only one of the two planned bell towers was ever completed—the elegant octagonal tower on the left side of the facade is a distinctive feature, while the right side remains noticeably shorter, a quirky detail that hints at the church’s long and sometimes interrupted construction history.