Capilla de Santa María del Mar

At the foot of the seafront promenade in Canet d'en Berenguer, the Chapel of Santa María del Mar is the small church that gives spiritual life to the beach district. Modest and modern in feel, it serves both residents and the summer visitors who fill the coastal front during the season, and it has become the religious landmark of this whole stretch beside the sea.

History and seafaring devotion

The chapel keeps alive the old seafaring tradition of Canet, a town historically tied to the sea and to the people who worked its waters. It preserves the local devotion to the Virgin against the Fevers, regarded as the protector of the sailors who once moored at the port. Although today's building is simple and recent, that fishing heritage explains why the community still looks to this corner as its little coastal sanctuary.

What to see

It is a discreet temple, built more for quiet reflection than as a monument. It has its own sacristy and keeps an active calendar of services through the summer months, when the population multiplies.

• The exterior, woven into the relaxed atmosphere of the promenade.
• The interior, plain and full of light, typical of a beach chapel.
• Its role as a hub of neighbourhood life in high season.

Tips for your visit

• Summer is the best time: more Masses and more life around the chapel.
• Walk over from Canet beach; it sits just steps from the sand.
• Keep quiet if a service is on, and pair the visit with a stroll along the seafront.