La Mercè Basilica

La Mercè Basilica (Basílica de la Mare de Déu de la Mercè in Catalan, Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Merced in Spanish) is a Baroque church, located in the Plaza de la Mercè in the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) of Barcelona. Close to the church, there are 18th century fountain sculptures of the god Neptune.

The interior of the church, which was constructed on the remains of the Gothic church from the 14th century, was designed by the architect Josep Mas i Dordal and built in the Rococo style in the years 1765-1775. It features distinctive ornaments, with a variety of marble and stucco cladding, to which the church owes its flamboyant looks.

The Church of La Mercè was constructed on a Latin-cross plan, and has a wide nave with two aisles and a transept surmounted by a dome, designed by Joan Martorell, topped by a large statue of the Virgen de la Merced (Virgin of Mercy) - the patron saint of Barcelona. The statue was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, however it was rebuilt in 1956 by the Oslé brothers, Llucià and Miquel. The church has an undulating façade and a marble gate surmounted by a triangular pediment. The sculpture of the Virgin of Mercy found inside the basilica is a Gothic woodcarving sculpted by Pere Moragues which date back to 1361.

In 1918, Pope Benedict XV consecrated the church as a minor basilica, thus making it the second church in Barcelona to receive this status (after the Barcelona Cathedral).