Have a walk along the narrow streets of El Born quarter and you will feel the spirit of Barcelona in the 14th century. The names of the streets in honour of different professional guilds who participated in the flourishing maritime and commercial situation of that time.
Continue walking and you'll meet the most beautiful cathedral in the world: the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. It's an ideal example of Gothic style architecture and it was Gaudi's inspiration for the design of the Sagrada Família interiors.
Santa Maria del Mar was designed by Berenguer de Montagut and it was the place where the shipwrights and merchants of Barcelona used to pray. This beautiful basilica was completed in just 55 years, between 1329 and 1384, thanks to the help of Barcelona citizens who contributed with money and their own hands to build the also known as the church of la Ribera.
Santa Maria del Mar is a gigantic marvel of architecture and looks sublime and severe. The church has a lot of stained-glass windows which contribute to its gorgeous image. There are statues at the entrance commemorating the guild members who personally helped to transport the heavy stones from the quarry to their new church. The great rose window is also worth a mention.
Get into the church and check how wonderful it is also in the interior. There are private tombs and those of Barcelona's medieval guilds and brotherhoods.
The successful epic novel the Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcons is set in Santa Maria del Mar, which is also mentioned in the novel The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
At night, Santa Maria del Mar rests but el Born doesn't. Sophisticated, relaxed bars around the basilica open their doors to offer a quiet, friendly night. There is plenty of different choice as there are bars suitable to anybody.
Do you fancy a delicious cocktail? Go to La Luna. Do you want to taste some Catalan cava? El Xampanyet is your choice. A glass of wine? Va de vi is waiting for you. What about some international cuisine? Then, you must go to La Fianna. And for a dance to the rhythm of samba, get into Berimbau.
Visit El Born in Barcelona and travel back in time and then have a drink or some tapas in any bar around Santa Maria del Mar,the cathedral of the sea.
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