Churches of Catalonia, Spain

Churches of Catalonia, Spain


In addition to exploring local churches in New England, I enjoy travelling abroad and seeing religious sites, taking in the culture and the architecture.

I intend to put a few of these posts together to show some of the photos I have from various regions I've been to.

 Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi  was under construction/renovation when I visited, but it was still an impressive site to see.
Basilica de Santa Maria 



Inside of Basilica de Santa Maria looking out- I like how this came out with the light in the door and the prayer votives.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, the glare and shadow was a bit intense.






More renovation!

Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (inside, chandelier)


I believe this is now part of the Barcelona history museum- former church

I'm actually not sure what this church is, I recall that it wasn't far from the water front- if someone knows, please leave me a comment. 
On a trip to Barcelona we visited several beautiful churches within the city, and we also took a day trip to Montserrat, home of the Black Madonna, which is a pilgrimage site for Catholics. Montserrat's location in the mountains is spectacular, and this should not be missed if one finds themselves in Catalonia.

Prayer votives were in separate areas on the campus and they had a cave like feeling to them

A festive dance on the grounds of Montserrat



Of course the most famous Catalonian church is none other than Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi masterpiece. We waited in an incredibly long line to get into the church but it was worth it. I'm not going to write much on this. Enjoy my sloppy tourist pictures, I think I still managed to capture some amazing shots, even if they are occasionally crooked and uncentered.




It goes without saying that Barcelona is an amazing place. I hope to go back to Catalonia and do more exploring one day. While generally speaking I continuously want to see new ground without heading back to a place, given options, this is easily somewhere I would not hesitate to return to.
Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts

Image
Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations was initiated as an exploration communities as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. I was lucky to find introductory courses available on Tibetan Buddhism at Kurukulla Center so close to me in Medford. The timing of the offerings was conveniently at 7:00 pm, leaving time to get there following work. However, I did make a special point to drive instead of riding my bike which tends to leave me in less than desirable condition to be in confined quarters with strangers. Before I get too much into details on this experience, I'd like to stress my level of ignorance of the details Tibetan Buddhism, thus ...
Read more

First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, Massachusetts

Image
First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, MA Pillars & Foundations was started as an effort to explore my surrounding communities through their religious institutions, and to share my experiences at them with my neighbors and beyond. These organizations that are both social and spiritual, leave lasting impressions on the communities that they are in, and I find in my experiences that I've taken them for granted, and I suspect I'm not alone. What strikes me what all of these institutions strive to do is make a difference, and they do, regardless if it is one person looking for hope & community, or a with recipient of their charitable work. Building & History People who pass by the low profile octagonal church in Melrose should not be fooled by the contemporary campus. This organization has a long history ( information on FCCM website ) in the community dating back to 1848. The new building was constructed in 1970 following a fire tha...
Read more

Saint Patrick Parish, Stoneham, MA

Image
Saint Patrick Parish, Stoneham, MA Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. Building & History St Patrick Parish has a very different feel depending on which angle you are observing it from. The view above is the traditional front of the flower shaped window gives the feeling of a country parish. In spite of Stoneham's close proximity to Boston, their are still portions of the town that are very quaint, leafy and idyllic. Not far from a picturesque Ne...
Read more

Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, MA

Image
Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, Massachusetts I intend to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. Discovering all of these different faith communities builds my knowledge of the neighborhoods around me and the people who live there. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants, as well as others through their generosity and public service. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. History & Building I was pleased to find that Saint Athanasius has an excellent write-up on their web page about their parish history. The parish is fairly new when compared to many I have visited, establishing in 1960, and their unusual, modern ch...
Read more

National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Attleboro, Massachusetts

Image
National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Attleboro, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  Reflecting on my 2018 Journey Prior to discussing Our Lady of La Salette further, please humor me as I reflect. This blog has documented a year long journey that has taken me to over 50 different churches, shrines, temples and faith centers. Most of these I was privileged to attend a service and to mingle with community members. It has be a terrific experience exploring faith, religion, community, charity, and I am better off as a consequence. It is fitting that I write about the shrine of La Salette in Attleboro as my experience touring the lights in 2017 with my wife, drinking hot chocolate, warming ourselves by a fire, watching a candle light procession of Silent Night at a manger, and seeing families experi...
Read more