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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217544
Data set of catholic parish churches of Barcelona. Relevance of their architectural characterization as singular buildings
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These data focus on 132 Catholic parish churches in Barcelona, showcasing their architectural characteristics through the first-ever comparison of their floor plans (Arboix-Alió, 2016) [Fig. 1]. These structures are distinctive in all towns with a Western Catholic tradition, exemplified by landmarks like Milan’s Duomo, Paris’s Notre Dame, and the same Barcelona’s La Sagrada Família (Busquets, 2019). The method used is through archival research and on-site visits to all 132 churches aided in drawing floor plans us- ing AutoCAD 2016 20.1 (compatible with the latest Version 2023, for MAC and OS) and Photoshop CC 2017 (also com- patible with newest versions), allowing for subsequent clas- sifications.
The churches are categorized by their architectural traits here [Fig. 2]: (1) those with directional spatial structures, ranging from single nave to five, including basilica and Latin cross floor plans; (2) expansive structures, including Greek cross and rectangular layouts; and 3) radial structures. These data reveal a prevalence of directional designs (96 out of 132) [Fig. 3], varying from single-nave to multi-nave configurations, with side chapels in some. The dominant type is the single-nave, mostly from the 20th century, ex- cept Sant Pacià(1876-81). There are also numerous single- nave churches with side chapels -among which only one is a recent construction, Sant Cristòfol (20 0 0)- and three-nave churches -where only one appears, Santa Cecília (1963), from the post-conciliar period-. Notably, the unfinished Sagrada Família with five naves and Sant Llorenç(1954-1963) with two naves stand out. Expansive churches comprise older Greek cross layouts and newer rectangular designs. The latter offer diverse section ar- rangements, despite being fewer in number [Fig. 4]. Fourteen parishes follow a radial scheme drawing ellipses, hexagonal, triangular, and conical forms [Fig. 4]. The collected data holds significance for architecture and sa- cred heritage research, providing floor plans for churches, some previously lacking them (Martí, 2012). The data col- lection methodology is transferable to other urban investi- gations, extending beyond religious structures (Arboix-Alió, 2016).
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ARBOIX-ALIÓ, Alba. Data set of catholic parish churches of Barcelona. Relevance of their architectural characterization as singular buildings. Data in Brief. 2023. Vol. 51. ISSN 2352-3409. [consulted: 17 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217544