The square
The main façade of the Mare de Déu de la Mercè (Our Lady of Mercy) Basilica overlooks the old square of the same name that was reopened a quarter of a century ago. On the southeast side of the square (or “sea side”, as the locals say) there is another building with a marble doorway. It used to be the Mercè (Lady of Mercy) Convent but today it is the military headquarters, or Capitania General. Opposite the basilica there is a fountain dedicated to the god Neptune, by Adrià Ferran, with a sphinx, by Celdoni Guixà, which first stood in Barceloneta for almost a century, and then in Parc de Montjuïc for another century.
The legend
According to legend, Our Lady of Mercy appeared to Pere Nolasc, in a dream, calling on him to start a monastic order dedicated to saving the numerous Christian hostages that had fallen into the hands of the North African pirates who sailed the seas at that time. This he did, with the help of Ramon de Penyafort and support from Jaume I.
And so the Order of Mercy was born. Their first church was built in 1267, on the site where the basilica is today. It was renovated in the 14th and 15th centuries and, in 1775, the architect Josep Mas i Dordal began the final renovation of the church as we know it today.
Patron saint of Barcelona
Legend also says that, in 1637, Our Lady of Mercy freed the city from a plague of locusts, so the grateful Consell de la Ciutat (City Council) named her the patron saint of Barcelona. In 1696, Pope Innocent XII introduced the cult of Our Lady to the whole Catholic Church and she was canonised in 1888, during the Universal Exhibition. Her cult extended throughout the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages and spread to Hispanic lands and the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today, the patron saint of Barcelona is revered by the public. A demonstration of her importance is seen when any city team, on winning a championship, goes to the basilica to sing her praises.
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