Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy
Baroque basilica whose bronze rooftop guardian was melted in wartime, then recast larger.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy in Barcelona begins in 1936, when soldiers stripped the bronze statue of La Mercè from the dome during the Spanish Civil War and the basilica itself was gutted by fire. It circles back to 1687, when locusts were destroying Barcelona's crops and the city council vowed to make the Virgin of Mercy patron of the city if the swarms vanished, a vow Rome did not confirm for nearly two centuries. Best heard from the square in front, looking up at the dome the story circles back to.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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