Basilicas in Spain—Zaragoza and Pamplona y Tudela

Zaragoza 

I blogged about the following basilica on January 3, 2020.

• Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza

Basilica of Our Lady, Badain, Huesca

Has been considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The church was originally part of a monastery for Benedictine nuns and was probably built in the 12th Century.  The Romanesque church was enlarged in the 16th Century, which is also when the tower was added.

Pictures are from Flickr, a local source, and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Graus, Huesca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1810.

A Romanesque church was built on this site in the 12th Century.  It was replaced in the 16th Century by the current Gothic and Renaissance church which also included a pilgrims’ hospital.  The church was badly damaged in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War but has been restored.

The first picture is from a local source and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Lawrence, Huesca, Huesca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

There was a Romanesque church on this site which was converted to Gothic in the 14th Century.  This church was built using a Baroque style between 1608 and 1703.  Tradition has it that St. Lawrence’s parents once lived in this area. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Encratius, Zaragoza, Zaragoza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

A church dedicated to St. Engracia and other early Christian martyrs has been on this site since the 3rd or 4th Century.  A monastery was built here in the 16th Century but was destroyed by war in the early 19th Century.  Only the alabaster façade, carved between 1512 and 1515, was saved and used in the construction of the current Renaissance church built in the late 19th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Collegiate Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, Calatayud, Zaragoza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.

This brick church was built between 1605 and 1613 in a Baroque style.  It replaced an earlier church.  It is the main church for the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Spain.  It was built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Pamplona y Tudela

Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Javier, Navarra

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1901.

St. Francis Xavier was born on this site in 1506.  This church was constructed between 1897 and 1901 using Neo-Romanesque, Neo-Gothic, and Byzantine styles.  St. Francis was one of the founders of the Jesuits.

Pictures are from Flickr, a local source, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Loiola, Guipuzcoa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1921.

The Jesuits began construction of a large complex of buildings in the late 1600s on the site of the birth (in 1491) of St. Ignatius of Loyola (one of the Order’s founders).  Work on the Baroque Basilica began in 1689 and continued until 1767.  The main altar is made of marble in a Churrigueresque style.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1973.

The church is dedicated to the Virgin of the Choir and replaced a 13th Century building.  The current church was completed in 1774 using a Baroque style with elements of Gothic, Churrigueresque, Neoclassical, and Rococo.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilicas in Spain—Barcelona

I blogged about the following basilica on January 3, 2020.

• Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia in Barcelona

Basilica of Our Lady of Montserrat, Montserrat, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.

A Benedictine abbey was established here in 1025 and rebuilt in the 19th and 20th Centuries after being destroyed by Napoleon’s armies.  It is over 4,000 feet above the valley floor and still has an active community of over 70 monks.  The abbey has a 9th Century image of the Virgin of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia.  The abbey museum has paintings by El Greco, Dali, Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Degas, and Caravaggio.  During the Spanish Civil War, Republican forces killed 278 priests and 583 religious men and women in Catalonia—22 were monks at Montserrat. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Mother of God of Mercy and St. Michael the Archangel, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1918.

The Baroque church was built between 1765 and 1775 to replace a 13th Century Gothic church.  The statue of Our Lady of Mercy dates to the 14th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Vilafranca del Penedes, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1919.

The current Gothic building was consecrated in 1489 and replaced a 12th Century building.  Major changes were made over the centuries.  The church suffered a devastating fire in 1934 but has been restored.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Sea, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1923.

The church was built in the 14th Century using a Catalan Gothic style.  The church was badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War—it burned for 11 days in a row.  Many of its decorative treasures were lost at that time.  It has otherwise been restored.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pine Tree, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1925.

This Gothic church opened in 1453 to replace a 10th Century Romanesque church.  The church has survived earthquakes, wars, and fires.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Mataro, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1928.

Churches have been on this site since the 11th Century but the current church dates to the late 17th Century.  It employs Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical elements.  The 17th Century altarpiece of the Rosary is noteworthy.

The top picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Joseph Oriol, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1936.

The classical church was built between 1915 and 1930.  It burned down in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War but was rebuilt.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Sts. Just and Pastor, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

A church has been on this site possibly since the 4th Century and certainly by 801.  The current Gothic church was built between 1342 and 1574. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Spirit, Terrassa, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1951.

The basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Terrassa.  The Gothic church was built between 1574 and 1616.  The parish has a musical archive of almost 1,000 works.

The first two pictures are from Pinterest and the other two are from Wikipedia.

National Expiatory Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.

A Catholic group bought this land atop Mount Tibidabo in the 1880s.  It was hoped that a church would be built similar to churches dedicated to the Sacred Heart in Rome and Paris.  A Neo-Gothic church was built on top of a Romanesque crypt between 1902 and 1961.  A large statue of Jesus was erected in 1950 to replace one destroyed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

The Neo-Gothic church was built between 1869 and 1883, although there are buildings associated with the parish that date to the 14th and 15th Centuries.  Many of the buildings were damaged by fire during the Spanish Civil War and were not restored until 1957.

The top picture is from Flickr and the rest are from Wikipedia.

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, Barcelona, Barcelona

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Probably the most famous unfinished church in the world, Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudi.  Construction on the stone church began in 1882 and continues today.  Gaudi combined Gothic and Art Nouveau styles in his design and he is buried in the basilica.  The design has 18 spires, 13 of which are completed.  The spires are dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and the Evangelists.  When the 566-foot spire dedicated to Jesus is completed, the church will be the tallest church in the world.  The church is also planned to have three facades—the Nativity façade to the east, the Passion façade to the west, and the Glory façade to the south (the last not completed).  The church relies solely on private donations.  The church is expected to be completed in the next ten years.  One Mass is celebrated on Sundays and Holy Days.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.