What's up guys, Patrick here, tour guide and your guide to Barcelona. It may sound sacrilegious to say but La Sagrada Familia is not the best church here in Barcelona. It's Santa Maria del Mar right here in the Born Neighborhood. So join me as I head inside to show you why it's so worth it and subscribe to find out more things that you can do here in Barcelona. Santa Maria del Mar or St. Mary's of the Sea is one of the places I think anyone that comes to Barcelona should visit. It's the best example of Meridino or Catalan Gothic style in the city and Barcelona's fastest build church and if that doesn't lure you in it's my mom's favorite place in the city. Entrance is free in the morning before 1 and in the afternoon after 5. But if you really want to get the full experience you can book a visit to the towers in the crypt from 5 to 10 euros. If you're still not convinced let's talk a little history and then take a tour so you can see for yourself. As Barcelona outgrew its walls new neighborhoods were added in. What is known as El Borro or La Rivera, the shore today was called Villanova del Mar. As commerce in Barcelona's importance as in Mediterranean port increased this area became the economic center of medieval Barcelona. Over time the need for a new and larger church became important to the people of the neighbor. Santa Maria de Mar started construction in 1329. It only took 54 years to complete which if you compare to other churches in Barcelona is extremely fast. This was all made possible by the donations of the people. Santa Maria de Mar has gotten the nickname the People's Church because it was built for and by the people. In fact many of the streets around in the church are named after the artisans and guilds that were here in the middle ages. It's these people who not only paid for it but literally carried the stones here that helped build the church. All of this led to a book being written called Cathedral of the Sea that I definitely recommend reading before or after your visit here. If you're not a reader there's also a Netflix series based off of the book. Catalan Gothic architecture is known for its far less decorative exterior when you compare it to its other Gothic counterparts. You might even notice the lack of flying buttresses and a smaller appearance from the outside. The overarching idea is that of simplicity and you can see that throughout the entire church. Much of this can be seen from the facade if you compare it to the Cathedral of Barcelona just a few minutes away but don't let the exterior fool you. The inside is mesmerizing. Once inside you'll almost be overwhelmed by its interior. Again we find traits of the purest example of the Catalan Gothic style. What appears to be one large open space is actually three naves almost equal in height. The fact that the central nave is the same height as the width of the church also allows for the columns to bear the weight despite being spaced further apart than in other Gothic cathedrals and churches. All of this leads to an interior that looks larger than what you would have thought from the outside. But don't let its current austere nature lead you to believe that it's always been this way. Unlike the exterior the church would have been extremely decorated with donations from the families and guilds that helped build it. Unfortunately not much remains after fire during the Civil War in 1936 destroyed much of the ornamentation. The fire lasted 11 days and you can still see some of the scars left in the forms of smoke stains on the ceilings. One of the greatest parts of the church is the lighting and the stained glass throughout the different chapels. Many were destroyed in the fire and today you can find windows from several different centuries. The newest from 1995 which pays homage to the 1992 Olympic Games held here in Barcelona. Although the best window has to be right above it. It might not look impressive but holds the Barcelona football club's crest. The club was one of the entities that helped with the high cost of reconstruction after the Civil War keeping the tradition of the people's church alive centuries later. The large rose window found over the front door has also been swapped out. The window you see today was put in in 1460 after an earthquake destroyed the original. On the inside you can see Mary being crowned by the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The altar and the organ have had to change as well due to damage and while we're talking about the organ one of my favorite fun facts of the church is that the organist for over 30 years is from Texas. Now that you've seen the inside I want to show you what you get with the paid visit. For 10 euros you get access to the galleries which were created out of the chapels and the asses in the 16th century. The crypt and best of all access to the roof for incredible views of the entire city. You will need to take the stairs though so let's go. Really not too bad on the 125 steps up to the top. I'm a little out of breath yeah I'm not going to lie and it was real narrow so make sure you know that before you come up. This is really cool being up on the roof and you can see up at the top even with these little almost like plugs. A lot of times when we're on the inside a lot of people ask me about the holes that are up on the roof and what happens maybe in the winter if it rains you know water might be able to get in to the church. You can see that they come up here and they actually top those holes off and so nothing can get in. Out back you'll find the passage La Born that gives the neighborhood its name, an old marketplace and home to medieval jousting tournaments. The back door has a sculpture of Mary Prey. Legend has it that when a man was wrongly convicted of murdering his neighbor and brought along the street here Mary turned her head as he passed convincing all that he was innocent. Notice her head is still slightly tilted to the side today. Like I said before I think the church is a place that anybody that comes to Barcelona definitely needs to visit. Hopefully that video caught that beauty of the interior and let you know if you wanted to come over here on your next trip to Barcelona. But let me know with a comment below what you thought and if you've already been over here let others know as well. If the video helped you out in any way remember to leave that thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already done so to see other amazing places like Santa Maria del Mar here in Barcelona and I'll see you next time.