One of the churches in Barcelona that’s definitely worth visiting is the basilica of La Mercè. The main façade of this Basílica de la Mare de Déu de la Mercè, briefly called Basílica de la Mercè, stretches out to a square that has the same name. This square was constructed in 1981.

On this place, at the sea side, you’ll find another façade, with a marble gate, where formerly was a monastery and what is now a captains quarters. At the side opposite of the basilica there’s situated a fountain dedicated to the god Neptune, a work of Adrià Ferran and Celdon Guixà. This fountain was previously standing in La Barceloneta for almost 100 years and after that almost a century in the park of Montjuïc.

According the legend Our Lady Of Sorrows appeared in the dream of the merchant Pere Nolasc. After this he got the plan to establish a monastic order devoted to the many Christians that felt in the hands of North-African pirates. Pere Nolasc was helped with his plans by the Dominican Ramon de Penvafort and king Jaume I.

As a result of this, the order of La Mercè came into existence. The first church of this order was built in 1267, on the grounds where now the basilica is situated. The church was reconstructed in the 14th and 15th century and in 1775 the architect Josep Mas i Dordal renovated the building to the structure as we know it now.

In 1870 there was placed a 15th century gothic façade at the flank of the church that earlier belonged to the old church of Sant Miguel. The door was manufactured by the Frenchman René Ducloux in 1516 and is executed in gothic style with classic details.

In 1888 there was built a big dome on the transept, a work of Joan Martorell i Montells. On top of the dome  a sculpture of Our Lady Of Sorrows of La Mercè was placed, a realization of Maximí Sala. The sculptures at that same façade are the work from Carles Grau.

The inside of the church was defined by her grandiosity, that in a way is being soothed by the decorative elements in rococo style with coating in marble and plaster. The sculpture of Our Lady Of Sorrows of La Mercè inside the basilica is a woodcarving from 1361 that is being attributed to Pere Moragues.

According the tradition, Our Lady Of Sorrows of La Mercè freed the city of Barcelona from a grasshopper plague in 1637. Out of gratitude for this the city council rose her to patron of Barcelona, an honor that until that moment belonged to Santa Eulàlia. The honoring of Our Lady of La Mercè, that during the middle-ages was spread all over the Mediterranean, can be found back in the Latin-American areas since the 18th and 19th century too.

Nowadays the patron of Barcelona is beloved by many inhabitants of Barcelona. An example of this are the festivals of La Mercè that take place every year in the week of the 24th of September.

The basilica of La Mercè is the second church in Barcelona that got the title of basilica, only preceded by the current cathedral. This title was granted by pope Benedictus XV in 1918 on the occasion of  the commemoration of the 700s birthday of the appearance of Our Lady at Pere Nolasc.

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