Santa Maria del Mar is a Gothic style church built near the coast of the city, with a purity and unity of style highly unusual in large medieval buildings. Made by the working class, for the working class, the church contains little adornment other than the stain glass windows which are meant to give an impression of light and spaciousness. In many ways, it symbolizes the humility of the working class.
Surrounding Santa Maria del Mar, are the Guilds, or the spine around which all productive work was organized. Powerful and resilient, the guilds oversaw the relations between apprentice and master, often enforcing high standards of work by making sure that difficult skills were fully acquired. Considered both economic and political institutions, the guilds also had ample connections with the church. These organizations lasted over six-hundred years until abstract capital began to overwhelm family business and factory production began to dominate handwork.
During this period, apartments often consisted of a workshop on the bottom floor, the owner on the first floor, and the skilled worker on the next floor up, and so on. Servants often lived on the top floor of the building. Hence, the small windows and narrow staircases. The lower floors (belonging to a higher class of people) tended to be much more spacious with large windows. Despite the class difference however, all those living in the building would often eat together at the same table. Moreover, doorways tended to be large in order to fit horses and carriages through them.
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