Cathedral of the Sea

Cathedral of the Sea (Spanish: La catedral del mar) is a 2006 historical novel by Spanish author Ildefonso Falcones. The action takes place in 14th century Barcelona at the height of the city's trade and military power in the Mediterranean, during the construction of Santa Maria del Mar serving as background to the story.

Cathedral of the Sea

First edition
Author	Ildefonso Falcones
Original title	La catedral del mar
Language	Spanish Catalan
Genre	Historical
Publisher	Grijalbo-Mondadori
Publication date	2006
Publication place	Spain
Pages	672
ISBN	978-84-253-4003-1

In 2018, a high-budget drama series adaptation by Atresmedia was broadcast in Antena 3 from 23 May 2018 to 18 July 2018.^[1] Netflix released the series worldwide in 1 September 2018.^[2][3][4]

Plot summary

One of the porters, known as bastaixos, who contributed to the construction of the church by carrying stones

The book is set in Barcelona and its main character is Arnau Estanyol, the son of a fugitive serf and one of the cathedral's stone workers,^[5] who obtains freedom and eventually achieves a high status in society.

Awards

The novel has won several literary awards including:

• Euskadi de Plata 2006 (Spain)
• The Qué Leer Award (Spain)
• Giovanni Boccaccio Award 2007 (Italy)