Historic church that survived Civil War reopens after restoration works

The Baroque church of Sant Sever in Barcelona officially reopened this Monday after five years of restoration works. It was built between 1699-1704 and lies in the heart of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona’s old town. 

The temple is considered unique, as it exceptionally survived revolutionary and wartime periods, unlike any other Baroque structure in Barcelona.  

During the Spanish Civil War, between 1936-1939, it was protected by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the police force of Catalonia, due to the fact that its location is next to the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Catalan government headquarters building.  

The restoration works cost €1,921,000, with most funding coming from the Barcelona Cathedral and €200,000 from the Department of Culture. 

''This is practically the most important Baroque complex left in Barcelona,'' Santiago Bueno, dean of the Barcelona Cathedral, said ahead of the official inauguration of the restored building.  

Baroque is an artistic and architectural style that flourished in Europe from the late 16th to the early 18th century. It is characterized by dramatic expression, grandeur, movement, and rich ornamentation. 

The church will hold open days on February 11, 13, and 15, allowing visitors to explore or reconnect with the site. 

The church was originally designed by architect Jaume Arnaudies and later completed by his successor, Joan Fiter. 

''At this temple, the arts blend together in a theatrical and ostentatious way characteristic of the Baroque period'' notes the Department of Culture in the Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. It embodies the 'Great Theatre of the World'  that defined the Baroque era. 

The reopening of a Baroque gem 

Officials attending the reopening ceremony, including Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, hailed the church as ''Baroque gem''.  

''It is one of the symbols of Catalan Baroque heritage,'' said Minister of Culture Sònia Hernández, who represented the Generalitat alongside Justice Minister Ramon Espadaler. 

Located on Carrer de Sant Sever, just behind the seat of the Catalan government, the church remained protected during the Spanish Civil War in the 20th century. It was one of the only four churches in Ciutat Vella that were not burned.  

''When the Civil War broke out and chaos ensued, the Catalan government realized it could not protect everything, so it decided to safeguard what it deemed most important and significant, the Cathedral of Barcelona. Since this church was close to it and to the government building itself, it was included in that protected area,'' explained Bueno. 

Deterioration and conservation 

However, in recent years, the church had to close due to severe roof deterioration, structural damage from pollution, and a termite infestation. It had gone nearly a century without any intervention. Moisture had seeped into the walls, plaster was falling, and the lighting was in very poor condition. Bueno described the state as ''unacceptable''.  

Over the past five years, around 50 professionals have worked on the restoration, making it one of the most significant cultural heritage recovery projects in Catalonia. Work began in 2019 but was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The first phase resumed at the end of 2020, focusing on stabilizing the building, restoring the main façade, and repairing the roof. 

The second phase centered on restoring the church’s interior. On of the most remarkable efforts was the restoration of the main altarpiece, which was covered in dust and moisture damage, causing the paint to peel.  

The conservation team discovered that the entire structure had been repainted over time. Using a delicate and complex technique, they managed to restore the original vibrant colors and the fine details of the images of Saint Sever and the Virgin Mary.  

''When you remove the dust and dirt, you find an area that has been repainted. The challenge is carefully removing this top layer without damaging the one beneath it while recovering the original polychrome, which is extraordinarily rich,'' explained Ana Ordóñez, a conservator from Barcelona Cathedral. 

During this phase, restorers also uncovered a series of wooden beams beneath the church’s roof with traces of polychrome paint, possibly dating back to the 19th century for structural repairs.  

Other restoration efforts included work on the ceiling keystones, the wooden balconies covered in gilded silver by sculptor Jeroni Escarabatxeres, and the interior façade’s sgraffito designs, decorative patterns created by scratching through a layer of surface to reveal a different color beneath. Additionally, the organ case by Josep Boscà (1721) was restored, along with the parquet flooring and electrical system. 

''It is a very small church, around 200 square meters, but due to the mastery of its builders, with excellent proportions, combined with the sgraffito and the dazzling altarpiece by Pere Costa, surrounded by paintings by Antoni Viladomat, it is almost a magical place where you lose any sense of scale,'' remarked Joan Claudi Minguell, the lead restoration architect.