The Gothic Quarter

In preparing for this Spain adventure, I purchased a travel book by Rick Steves about the city of Barcelona. In the back of this book was a walking map that I studied and marked with all the places I wanted to see. The map fit snuggly in my coat pocket. At each stop, I would review the map and enter into my phone GPS the location of the next site.

I began my day adventure at the ***Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar.***

The side altars were stunning with many beautiful statues.

This basilica was built between 1329 and 1383 and was consecrated in 1384.

An earthquake in 1428 destroyed the original rose window. The new rose window was completed in 1459.

Many of the basilicas decorative richness was destroyed in a fire set by anti-clerical rioters at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. However, the church survived even though it was on fire for eleven days.

My next stop on this walking adventure was the Santa Caterina market. The market began in 1845 and contains an abundance of fresh produce, fish, seafood, and meats.

As I continued my walk, I found a small church that I did not see on my walking map. The Church of Santa Anna is located in the heart of Barcelona and was built between the 13th and 15th centuries.

Before entering the church, I noticed a remarkable statue. I stepped back when I first saw it because it looked very real. However, this is a beautiful statue that speaks volumes.

The original statue of the ***Homeless Jesus*** was created by Timothy Schmalz and installed in 2013 at Regis College in Toronto. The statue at the Santa Anna Church in Barcelona is one of 50 replicas placed around the world. The statue has been described as a “visual translation” of the Gospel of Matthew passage in which Jesus tells his disciples, “as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). Schmalz visited Pope Francis in 2013 and presented a miniature version of the statue.

On the website for the Church of Santa Anna, there is a picture of this statue with the following quote from Pope Francis, “The church must be like a field hospital for the wounded.” The details of this statue are amazing as you can see the nail marks on the feet which clearly identify Jesus.

It was truly a touching moment and brought many thoughts about how I see Jesus in others, especially the homeless.

After leaving the Church of Santa Anna, I walked to the Placa de Catalunya which is a beautiful open space full of pigeons, park benches, and people relaxing in the morning sun.

At the recommendation of my hotel staff, I walked behind the Placa de Catalunya to see the architectural sites of the city. It wasn’t long before approaching a beautiful creation by ***Antoni Gaudi.***

I decided earlier that I would have lunch at the La Boqueria Market. I heard so many good things about this market from people who traveled to Barcelona and from many videos. From Placa de Catalunya, I headed down the famous La Rambla pedestrian walkway in central Barcelona.

***La Rambla*** was crowded with lots of people everywhere. It was an experience that I enjoyed as I took in all the sites.

My GPS was programed for the La Boqueria market when I noticed a sign for the Church of Mare de Deu de Betlem. This was also marked on my map, and I was happy to find it. This church has an interesting story.

In 1553, the Jesuits built the first church of their order on this site. The church was consecrated in 1555 and destroyed by a fire in the 17th century. A new church was built in the 18th century but was closed to worshippers following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain in 1767. The parish church of ***Mare de Deu de Betlem*** was founded in 1835. A second fire in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War destroyed the roof and some of the interior walls.

What I found interesting about this church was the variety of displays depicting scenes in Jesus’ life. This is typical of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who was the founder of the Jesuits. In his Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius challenges us to place ourselves in the scene and experience what is happening in each setting. Throughout the church there were several depictions of the Nativity.

One of my favorite displays was titled, ***“First Steps.”*** You never really think about Jesus taking his first steps, yet you know it had to take place. Maybe it occurred exactly the way it is depicted in this creation.

The main altar of this church was beautiful with a statue of the Blessed Mother looking sweetly at the Baby Jesus.

Another odd, yet interesting statue was the death of Jesus. This was different and yet gave a sense of reality to the event.

My favorite part of this church was one of the side altars with the Blessed Sacrament available for prayer.

By now, I was ready for lunch. Very close to the church was the entrance to the La Boqueria Market.

What was really amazing about this market was that you could eat lunch while walking through the market – which is exactly what I did! This was encouraged by each vendor that sold food choices in easy to hold containers.

I started my walk in the market with a cup of fresh strawberries. Then I found a vendor selling empanadas with spinach and onions. A kiwi drink was next on my menu followed by a large white chocolate chip cookie.

As I nibbled on lunch, I saw amazing options – like potato chips on a stick!

And chocolate covered strawberries on a stick!

This was a great experience and a wonderful way to try new things.

There was one more thing that I wanted to do before heading back to the hotel and that was to walk toward the aquarium on the waterfront. Before long, at the end of the La Rambla walkway, I could see the Christopher Columbus monument.

We are all grateful for Christopher Columbus. He was an Italian explorer, trained by the Portuguese, and sailed under the Spanish flag because they were the only ones who had the money to fund the exploration.

The Barcelona waterfront was beautiful.

Before long, I was back at my hotel. The hotel I chose for this adventure was across from the Cathedral of Barcelona. The hotel and the cathedral were part of a large, car-free square that had a variety of new activities throughout the day. There were also many restaurants within a few feet of the hotel.

After a long day of exploring Barcelona, it was time for dinner. I enjoyed sitting outside at one of the restaurants on the square listening to the music and other happenings and enjoying beautiful Spain.

One more day in Barcelona and then I am off to another part of Spain. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever seen the statue of the Homeless Jesus. This was an amazing find with so much more to come.