Basílica de Santa Maria de Castelló d'Empúries
| The Santa Maria Basilica | |
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Native name Catalan: Santa Maria de Castelló d'Empúries |
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| Location | Castelló d'Empúries, Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Built | 13th-15th century |
| Architect | Ramón de Xartres |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: Basílica de Santa Maria de Castelló d'Empúries | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 3 June 1931 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0000569 |
 Location of The Santa Maria Basilica in Spain
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The Santa Maria Basilica (the Basílica de Santa Maria de Castelló d'Empúries, or the Catedral de l'Empordà or the Catedral de Castelló d'Empúries in (Catalan)), located in the municipality of Castelló d'Empúries in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, has for centuries been regarded as the Empordà Cathedral, although papal authorities have never grant it this rank. The building is the second largest in the Costa Brava, after the Girona Cathedral, and is big enough to justify a cathedral status. It is a Gothic building begun in the thirteenth century that replaced a primitive Romanesque church from the tenth century. A few vestiges of this building remains, such as the first floors of the bell tower and the grant baptismal. It was completed in the fifteenth century, when the marble facade and the alabaster altarpiece of the main altar were finished. It contains a museum known as El Tresor, which contains a large collection of religious jewelry.
The church is dedicated to the Virgin of Candelera.
After the destruction of Empúries, Castelló became the county seat, with the transfer of the Counts of Empúries to the villa. Thus the site became a strategically defensive zone surrounded by walls. The counts wanted the village to be the base of the episcopal seat of the Empordà, which would explain its monumentality.
A document from 1007 first made mention of a Romanesque church dedicated to Santa Maria established in the hamlet of Castelló d'Empúries. This was a purchase made by the Bishop of Girona Odó, from spouses Tedmar and Truitela, a Castelló freehold property comprising several mounds, two lagoons and two lakes called "Ded" and "Bona Conca". The property was limited, at different points, by Sancta Maria de Castilione territories. This Romanesque church was consecrated in 1064.
The Catalan Gothic style structure, which was built in the same location as the first Romanesque church, was directed by the architect Ramón de Xartres, and construction began on 13 February 1261, during the time of Count Ponç IV of Empúries. Its architectural structure was finished early in the fifteenth century, when the facade was built, with the grand marble portal. The side altars were built and the alabaster altarpiece of the main altar was designed. It has the structure and dimensions of a cathedral, a status which it never attained despite several efforts spearheaded by the counts of Empúries.
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