Bethlehem Church (Barcelona)
The Bethlehem Church of Barcelona ( Catalan : Església de Betlem , Spanish : Iglesia de Belén ) is a high baroque Catholic church in the old town of Barcelona, directly on the Rambla . Until a fire in 1936, it was considered the most beautiful baroque building in the city.
The full name is in Catalan Església de la Mare de Déu de Betlem (Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem ).
prehistory
From the second half of the 16th century, numerous churches and monasteries were built in Barcelona as part of the Counter Reformation - especially in the then relatively young district of El Raval . The area therefore soon became known under the name Tierra de Conventos (Spanish for monastery world ).
In 1553 the Jesuits also received permission from the city government to build a church in El Raval. The building with an attached school was inaugurated two years later. It was the first church on the Rambla .
Ironically, during a festive parade on the occasion of the canonization of the Jesuit Francesco Borgia on the Rambla in 1671, the church accidentally caught fire and burned down completely.
Current building
In 1680, at the same place (Rambla, corner of Carrer del Carme), a much larger and more magnificent new building began - under the direction of Jesuit Father Tort and Dídac de Lacarse; The architect was Josep Juli . Barcelona's Bishop Alfonso de Sotomayor laid the foundation stone in 1681. Work on the building was completed in 1729. The decoration of the magnificent, mostly baroque interior was continued until 1855.
1767 the Jesuits from all over Spain were expelled . The church then stood empty for years and began to deteriorate. It was not until 1787 that church services were held again (organized by the diocese), the current parish was founded in 1835.
From 1772 to 1878 the Seminari Conciliar de Barcelona also resided in the church.
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War , the church was set on fire - presumably by left-wing radicals. The magnificent baroque interior burned out completely, the vaulted roof collapsed.
Since the reconstruction, the church has appeared much simpler: the exterior facades appear gray, the interior is mostly plain white. Only a few side chapels were decorated with gifts from other churches.
In 1997 the church was added to the list of Historic Monuments of Protected Cultural Property of Spain .
At Christmas time, numerous artistic nativity scenes are shown in the church (Catalan: pessebres , Spanish: Belens or Bethlehems ), which attract several thousand spectators.
Individual evidence
Web links
- Parish homepage (Catalan)
- Image of the church with an impressive colored facade (early 19th century)
- Photo of the destroyed church after 1936
Coordinates: 41 ° 22 ′ 59.2 " N , 2 ° 10 ′ 16.4" E