The Basilica de Santa María la Mayor is one of the finest Gothic churches in eastern Spain and would be famous if it were anywhere near a major tourist route. Built across the 14th and 15th centuries, it has two portals with rich sculptural decoration — the Portal of the Apostles on the south side is particularly fine. The interior is a soaring Gothic space with clustered columns and ribbed vaults typical of the Valencian Gothic tradition.
The choir gallery is reached by the famous spiral staircase, which has been attracting architectural pilgrims since the church was completed. The elaborately carved stone surfaces of the stair are exceptional even by the standards of a building full of exceptional stone-carving. The basilica also houses a small museum in its cloister with medieval altarpieces and liturgical objects.