Santa Maria del Pi
14th-15th Century
Presented by Chris Legatt
14th-15th Century
Presented by Chris Legatt
The Església de Santa Maria del Pi is a 14th-century Gothic church that stands at the heart of three little plazas in Barcelona. Santa Maria del Pi is in the Placa Sant Josep Oriol, this is considered one of the prettiest of the three squares in the area. It is filled with an artists’ market on the weekend and the outdoor tables of the Bar del Pi the rest of the time. The church is named for the pine tree (pi in Catalan) that once stood nearby. According to traditions undocumented, but accepted by some historians, there used to be a small Paleochristian church stood on this site in 413 A. C. What is certainly a historical fact is that in 987 A. C. There was a small Romanesque church here, "outside the wall of Barcelona", consecrated to Santa Maria del Pi. Its pure Gothic style is evident in the single nave, almost devoid of ornaments. The interior is plain but features some beautiful stained glass windows. The middle of the main façade boasts a large rose window of 10 m. in diameter, very much in keeping with the church’s Gothic style. In 1940, the rose window was entirely rebuilt after being destroyed by fire during the Spanish civil war during the year of 1936. The Belfry (type of medieval siege tower or bell tower).This is one of the most characteristic features of the Pi church and of Barcelona.