Basilica of Santa Maria, Igualada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Maria d'Igualada |
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| Basilica de Santa Maria d'Igualada | |
Main altarpiece
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| 41°34′43.05″N 1°37′6.23″E / 41.5786250°N 1.6183972°E | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Santamaria |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Pere Blai Rafael Plançó Pau Ginestar |
| Style | Gothic and Renaissance |
| Years built | 1003 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Vic |
The Basilica of Santa Maria is the main church in Igualada, Catalonia, Spain. It is also the most important historical building in the city. The church's story began in the 11th century. However, most of the building you see today was built in the 17th century.
Contents
A Look at Its History
The Santa Maria church is often called the "big church" in Catalan. It stands in the heart of Igualada, the capital of the Anoia region. Around the year 1000, the first settlement of Igualada started right where the church is now. This spot was important because two main roads crossed here. One road connected Barcelona with Aragon, and the other linked northern and southern Catalonia.
During a difficult time called the Spanish Civil War, the church was used as a market. After the war, it was carefully restored by architect Cèsar Martinell. In 1949, Pope Pius XII gave Santa Maria the special title of Minor Basilica. This means it's a very important church.
The church was renovated again in the 1980s and reopened in 1990. Because it was built over many years, Santa Maria shows different building styles and artistic ideas.
Exploring the Building
The Main Part of the Church
Santa Maria has one main open space inside, called a nave. Its design is typical of the Renaissance style in Catalonia. This style is known for being simple and grand. For example, the front of the church only highlights a large round window, called a rosette window. The side walls are mostly plain, broken only by windows and strong supports called buttresses. Some of these buttresses are decorated with interesting gargoyles shaped like humans and animals.
The roof of the nave has a Gothic design. It's a vault, which means it's curved like a ceiling. The ceiling's arches form a skeleton of ribs. These ribs meet at round decorations carved with figures of saints. The arches rest on pillars in an Italian style. Above these pillars is a gallery of smaller arches, known as a triforium, and a decorative border called a cornice. The nave ends with a square-shaped area called an apse. This is where the main altar is located. The apse ceiling has a star-shaped vault. In the center is a carving of the Virgin Mary, and on the sides are carvings of the Evangelists.
Side Chapels
On both sides of the main nave, there are twelve smaller rooms called chapels. Many of these chapels have a Baroque style of decoration. Their decorations are quite new because they were rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War. Local trade groups, called "gremis," helped pay for these repairs. For example, you can see altars dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot (patron of muleteers), Saint Isidore the Laborer (patron of farmers), Saint Anthony of Padua (patron of tanners), Saint Christopher (patron of motorists), and Saint Antonio Maria Claret (patron of weavers).
Under the bell tower, there's the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows. This part is thought to be the oldest in the church. It was an expansion of an older Romanesque chapel built in the 14th century.
The "Sant Crist" Chapel
A special part of the church is the "Sant Crist" chapel. This chapel is in the Baroque style and was built in the early 18th century. It's an extra room on the left side of the nave, near the bell tower. The chapel is shaped like a Latin cross. Its ceiling is a hemispherical dome, supported by four pairs of tall, flat columns called pilasters.
Inside, the chapel has a painting by Francesc Tremulles showing the Holy Trinity and Mary. Below the dome, there are paintings of the Evangelists by Miquel Llacuna. From the outside, you can see the octagonal dome. At the back of the chapel, there's an altarpiece with a statue of Saint Christ of Igualada. This is a copy of a 14th-century Gothic carving that was lost during the Civil War. Two murals by Camps Dalmases show a traditional story about Christ's blood sweat in Igualada in 1590.
The Main Altarpiece
The main altarpiece is probably the most important artwork in the church. An altarpiece is a large, decorated screen behind the altar. Building it started in the 18th century but wasn't finished until the end of that century. This delay was due to a conflict called the War of the Spanish Succession. Because of this, the altarpiece mixes the grand Baroque style with a simpler, more balanced style called classicism.
The altarpiece was created by Jacint Morató and Josep Sunyer. During the Civil War, it was taken apart and partly damaged. After the war, architect Cèsar Martinell helped rebuild it. The most recent restoration of Santa Maria in the 1980s included cleaning the altarpiece.
This altarpiece is considered one of the first major artworks made in Catalonia after the Succession War. It has three clear levels. In the center, you'll see a figure of the Immaculate Conception (Mary without sin), carried by angels. On either side of Mary are statues of her parents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Below them are medallions showing two moments from Mary's life: her wedding and her Presentation of Mary at the temple. Above Mary's image is a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, and a medallion with God the Father.
On the second level of the altarpiece are images of Saint Roch and Saint Faust. These saints are connected to an old prayerbook from Igualada. Four musician angels, typical of Baroque art, stand next to them. One angel playing a guitar is very special and rare in religious art from that time. At the top level, the altarpiece is crowned by the figure of St. Bartholomew, who is the patron saint of Igualada.
Symbolically, the entire altarpiece is held up by four large Atlas figures made of marble. These figures represent the four seasons of the year. The side walls have two carved panels with the city's emblem above them. These panels show the Epiphany (when the Three Kings visited Jesus) and the adoration of the shepherds.
The Organ
The church's organ is located high up, under the large rose window on the front facade. It was built in the mid-18th century by Antoni Boscà. During the Civil War, it was moved to a Escolàpies convent and used for concerts. It was restored in 1980 by master organ maker Gerhard Grenzing. This organ is considered one of the most important in Catalonia. Because of its quality, the basilica hosts an International Organ Festival every year.
The Bell Tower
The bell tower was built in the 16th century, during the Gothic period. It has a simple beauty, with decorations around its upper windows and some small arched windows. The tower has a square shape and is covered on all four sides. It has seven bells, and six of them were recently installed. These new bells were made in Germany.
Other Interesting Parts
Near the main altar, between the Atlas figures, are the two entrances to the vestry (a room where priests prepare). Above each entrance are the city's coat of arms. In the first side chapel on the right, there's a painting by Segimon Ribó. It shows the traditional story of Christ's blood sweat in Igualada from 1590. The baptistery, where baptisms take place, has a modernist style. It was designed by Ignasi Colomer and is on the left side of the entrance. The crypt (an underground room) beneath the chancel (the area around the altar) was built after the Civil War, based on a plan by Cèsar Martinell. Outside the main front of the church, two plaques remember the people of Igualada who fought in the Battle of the Bruch.
The mix of different parts in Santa Maria shows its long history. Visiting the church is like taking a journey through the history of Igualada and the history of art.
"Fulgentia" Exhibition
"Fulgentia" is a permanent exhibition of religious art inside the Basilica of Santa Maria. It has two main areas. One is the left gallery of the triforium, where about 70 art pieces are displayed. The other area is a storage room near the sacristy, which visitors cannot enter. Some of the pieces in this exhibition are considered among the best examples of Catalan goldsmith art.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María (Igualada) para niños
