Basilica of Santa Maria, Igualada

The Basilica of Santa Maria is the main temple and the most important historical building of Igualada, province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Santa Maria church origin is from the 11th century, but the current building is mainly from the 17th century.Origin and historyThe church of Santa Maria, also known as the "big church", is the most important historical building of Igualada, capital of the Anoia comarca. The first settlement of Igualada is dated around year 1000, in the location were the current church lies today, which was at that time a crossing of the two routes which were linking Barcelona with Aragon, and the north of Catalonia with its south. The origins of the church are from the 11th century, but most of the current building is from the 17th century.During the Spanish Civil War it was converted into a market, and was restored after the war, under the guidance of the architect Cèsar Martinell. In 1949 Santa Maria obtained the title of Minor Basilica granted by the pope Pius XII.The most recent rehabilitation took place in the 1980s, which was inaugurated in 1990. The elements of the church are the result of different construction stages and therefore respond to different aesthetic influences and styles.