Church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla

The 17th-century church on the headland — the postcard view of Sitges

The parish church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla sits on the rocky promontory that divides the old town from the long sweep of Sitges beach. Built in the baroque style in the late 17th century, with two later bell towers and a coloured-tile dome, it is the dominant landmark of the seafront and lit up after dark.

The interior is modest — a single nave with side chapels — and the church is more impressive from outside than in. The terrace around it is the obvious place to start or end a walk along the seafront, with the Maricel and Cau Ferrat museums next door and the steps down to the beach a few paces away.

things to do sight church
A story
The brick-and-stone profile of Sant Bartomeu rising above the Mediterranean on its low rocky headland is the image every Sitges postcard sells. The current church was built between 1672 and 1682 on the site of an earlier fortified chapel, and floodlit at night it looks like a small Italian basilica marooned on its own peninsula. Below it, narrow stone steps drop straight down to the beach — the photogenic transition from sacred to secular that defines the town.