It is said to be the oldest basilica in Barcelona and the urban legend says it is built on the sands where the first Christian martyrs died in Barcelona. Reality however is that the first written information that we have of this church is from the year 800. Therefore it is not at all clear whether it previously existed.

The facade and its location do not draw much attention. It is perhaps why it is so startling from the inside. A single nave, with chapels between the buttresses and beautiful polychrome details, leave the visitors amazed and with their mouths wide open.

Another curiosity is that this church was part of the scene of the movie “The Perfume”, where it represented the cathedral of Grasse. In the movie, a nun appears dead and naked in the middle of the church! The curious thing about this shot is that the naked nun never really was in the church. It was filmed elsewhere and both images were merged afterwards.

Just in front of the entrance of the basilica, in the Sant Just i Pastor square, you’ll see the oldest fountain in Barcelona.
Whilst you are here, we recommend that you to enter the courtyard of the Comtesa Palamos or Palau Requesens. It is of the thirteenth century and was built on the Roman wall and has a beautiful gothic gallery.