Sant Joan d'Horta, Gothic Revival church in Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona, Spain.
Sant Joan d'Horta is a Gothic Revival church in the Horta-Guinardó district that serves as the main religious hub for the archpresbytery overseeing several parishes. The building is distinguished by its octagonal towers at the main facade and interior structure of three vaulted naves leading to an octagonal apse.
The old Romanesque church of Sant Joan d'Horta, first documented in the 10th century, stood at today's Campoamor 66, on the grounds of the Horta Tennis Club. It became a parish in 1860 and was destroyed in 1909 during the Tragic Week; its fortified bell tower survived until 1929. The first stone of the new church was laid on 24 June 1905, but construction under Enric Sagnier began in 1911 and the church opened on 21 October 1917. Burned in 1936, it was rebuilt from 1939, with the portal and tympanum completed in 1980.
The parish takes its name from the Horta family, the main household of the village that became part of Barcelona in 1904. The apse holds nine stained-glass windows with scenes from the life of John the Baptist, to whom the church is dedicated. The bells Miquela and Lluïsa were installed in 1948.
The church is located on Campoamor Street in the Horta-Guinardó district and is accessible by public transport. Keep in mind that this is an active place of worship, so visiting hours may be limited to times outside of scheduled services.
The two octagonal towers flanking the facade imitate those of Santa Maria del Pi. Less visible is the 1200 gift that made the parish possible: the Horta family gave the mas de Fàbrica, later can Ferrer and now can Mariner, to Bernat Ferrer on condition of paying a quarter of the wheat harvest and half the tree fruit to the chapel. This income supported the appointment of the first rector, Guillem Feixes, on 2 June 1260.
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