Basilicas in Spain—Tarragona—2

Basilica of St. Mary Major, Morella, Castellon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1958.

The church was primarily built between 1265 and 1343 although work continued until 1593.  It is primarily Gothic with some Renaissance elements.  The church has a 17th Century Churrigueresque altarpiece.

The first picture is from Pinterest, the second from TripAdvisor, and the rest from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary of Poblet, Abadia de Poblet, Tarragona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1963.

A Cistercian monastery was built here in the 12th Century with a Romanesque church.  The monastery soon became one of the most important in Europe and some kings of the ancient Kingdom of Aragon are buried here.  The monastery was abandoned in 1835 but was restored in 1930 and the Cistercians returned in 1940. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Castello d’Empuries, Girona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The Gothic church was built between the 13th and 15th Centuries to replace a 10th Century Romanesque church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Felix, Girona, Girona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

This church was constructed between the 12th and 17th Centuries and once was the cathedral for the diocese.  It is primarily Romanesque but has a Gothic nave and Baroque façade.

The first three pictures are from a local source and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Meritxell, Meritxell, Andorra

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The basilica consists of an old and a new sanctuary.  A church was built here in the 12th Century to house a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that had been found.  This church was renovated in a Baroque fashion in the 19th Century.  The church and the statue were destroyed in a 1972 fire.  The old church has been restored and is still in use.  A new church was built between 1974 and 1976 and houses a replica of the original statue.  The church has a collection of over 1,500 bibles in more than 1,200 languages.

The first three pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Virgin Mary of Nuria, Nuria, Girona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

A church was built here in the 11th Century and eventually housed a statue of Our Lady that dates to the 13th Century if not earlier.  The church is located over 6,500 feet above sea level.  A new church was built in 1911.

Pictures are from local sources

Basilica of the Holy Christ of Balaguer, Balaguer, Lleida

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2016.

This 17th Century Baroque and Neoclassical church replaced an earlier Romanesque church that had in turn replaced a mosque.  The church has a sculpture of Christ that is said to have been executed by Nicodemus, a disciple of Christ.  There are thought to be a half dozen of these sculptures in existence.  This sculpture is a copy as the original was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

The first two pictures are from Dreamstime and a local source and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Stephen, Olot, Girona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2024.

Five churches dedicated to St. Stephen have been on this site since the 8th Century.  This Neoclassical church was built in the 18th Century.  The parish museum has the painting “Christ Embraced on the Cross” by El Greco.

The first three pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia.