The Life of Pi

After leaving the underground Roman ruins museum, we headed across Bari Gotic to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi, which means “Saint Mary of the Pine,” built as a Gothic Church in the 15th Century.  Of course, wandering the streets, we went through the Jewish Quarter (“El Call”).  And by quarter they probably mean “penny” as it was quite small.

From CityLifeBarcelona.com:

“About 4,000 Jews were living in Barcelona during the 13th century and many worked as doctors, scientists, scholars, merchants, or money lenders for the Catalonian aristocracy and crown. Medieval Barcelona was approximately 15% Jewish, with most living in this Jewish quarter. During the expulsion of the Jews in 1424 by Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella valuable trading contacts and knowledge was lost and the Jewish population was decimated. The king ordered that the size of Jewish synagogues be no larger than the smallest Christian church. This is the reason why many important and remaining synagogues are very small.”

These signs indicated it was a one way

street and that you, and your horse,

should exit this direction.  There

are also signs indicating 

the entrance direction too.

Don and Jennifer by

some street art.

From there, we wound our way to the Santa Maria del Pi.  Oddly, in 2019 we did not go into the church because, well, Carol was too cheap to pay the entrance fee.  Her mind got changed shortly before this trip however, as we watched “Unchartered,” an adventure movie that largely takes place in Barcelona, including in this church.  We wanted to see it in person primarily to determine if the church’s interior was the same one used in the movie.

We believe it was, as the interior in both the movie and in real life is quite wide, featuring four columns of pews instead of the normal two.  The church has an interesting and long history, having been damaged in the earthquake of 1428, bombed in 1714 during the war of Spanish Succession, and burned in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, which wasn’t actually very civil.

Editor’s Note: Civil wars never are civil.

Blogger: Odd name.

Editor: “Civil” has multiple meanings.

Blogger: Oh.

The church is not very typical, as there are no towers flanking the front entrance.  There is one tower further back into the church.  We also wandered down into the crypt, the garden, and the church treasury.

It’s not the most beautiful or striking church in Barcelona.  Is it worth the five Euros to enter?  Well, pay your money and you can decide for yourself.  What, do you read this blog for travel advice?

Some of the stained glass.

This means "dead guy buried here."

So Mary sez, "Joseph, you get to change

this messy diaper."  Joseph is stunned.

Pigeon don't care about your scary gargoyle.

You can barely see that same pigeon

on that same gargoyle.  Have I

mentioned I have a great zoom lens?

Absolutely beautiful rose window.  It's a

faithful reproduction from 1940 of the

original rose window, which burned in

the 1936 attack.