The Collegiate Basilica of Santa Maria (Catalan: ''Santa Maria de Manresa''; Spanish: ''Santa María de Manresa''), also known as La Seu, is a Romanesque-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

church in

Manresa Manresa () is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographical centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, north of Spain.''Manual del arte español: introducción al arte español'' Page 363 2003 "Igual que Santa María de Manresa lo es en otra medida. En la primera, Berenguer de Montagut concibió un esbelto edificio de tres naves." Voltes-seu-manresa

History

The church of Santa Maria is documented from the year 890. In 999 the edifice was devastated by troops of

Al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ar, أبو جعفر عبد الله بن محمد المنصور‎; 95 AH – 158 AH/714 CE – 6 October 775 CE) usually known simply as by his laqab Al-Manṣūr (المنصور) w ...

, as well as the whole city. In 1000 count

Ramon Berenguer I of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer I (1023–1076), called the Old ( ca, el Vell, french: le Vieux), was Count of Barcelona in 1035–1076. He promulgated the earliest versions of a written code of Catalan law, the Usages of Barcelona. Born in 1024, he succee ...

, together with his mother

Ermesinde Ermesinde is a civil parish in the municipality (''concelho'') of Valongo, in continental Portugal, northeast of Porto. The population in 2011 was 38940,Oliva Oliva () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of La Safor in the Valencian Community, Spain. To its east lie of coastline and beaches fronting the Mediterranean Sea, and eight kilometres to the north is Gandia. The ''Passeig'' (promenade) run ...

bishop of Vic The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vic ( la, diocoesis Vicen(sis)) is a diocese with its seat in the city of Vic in the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. Its cathedral is a basilica dedicated to Saint Peter. History A dioces ...

, decided to refurbish the church. Today only scanty remains are preserved of this Romanesque structure, and of its pre-Romanesque forerunner, including columns in the gallery (11th century), featuring columns with capitals having vegetable and geometrical motifs, and a 12th-century portal. During the 14th century, Manresa underwent a large expansion, and a new Gothic structure was thus added above the pre-existing church. Construction started in 1322, under design by architect Berenguer de Montagut, who had been previously working at Santa Maria del Mar in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. The first stone was placed in 1328 but works dragged on into the 15th century and later. The crypt was built in 1578, followed by the Chapel of the Holiest in 1657. The bell tower, with a quadrangular shape, dates to 1592, while the Baroque cloister was built in the early 18th century. The main façade and the baptisteries are from 1915 to 1934, designed by

Alexandre Soler i March Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom o ...

, after an idea by

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, ''sui generis'' style. Most are located in Barcel ...

Overview

The church has a nave and two far narrower aisles, divided by eighteen octagonal pilasters, crowned by capitals with vegetable motifs. There is no transept. The interior has few decorations, with the exception of the large polychrome windows. DetallSantEsperit

Works of art include the following

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

s: *St. Mark, by

Arnau Bassa Arnau Bassa was a Catalan painter of the 14th century. He was the son and disciple of painter Ferrer Bassa, with whom he collaborated on numerous works. He introduced in his style influences of the pre- Avignonese school, but later he moved to ...

(1346) *Holy Spirit, by

Pere Serra Pere Serra was a painter in Gothic-Italian style, who was active in Catalonia in 1357–1406. He was born into a family of painters, including his brothers Jaume, Francesc and Joan. Like most of the Catalan painters of the period, he was ...

(1394), considered amongst the best examples of Catalan painting in the 14th century *St. Michael and St. Nicholas, by Jaume Cabrera (1406) *Holy Trinity, a late work by Gabriel Guàrdia (1501) There is also a painting by

Lluís Borrassà Lluís Borrassà (c.1360, Girona? - c.1426, Barcelona?) was a Catalan painter. He was employed by the Crown of Aragon and is widely considered to have introduced the International Gothic painting style into the Principality of Catalonia. Life ...

(1411).

References

External links

Page at Catalan monasteries website
{{Authority control 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Maria de la Seu, Manresa Basilica churches in Spain Romanesque architecture in Catalonia Gothic architecture in Catalonia Manresa