# Cathedral of the Sea (2018)

> A serf flees feudal oppression to Barcelona and rises through the building of a great Gothic church in 14th century Spain.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63303

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Rodolf Sirera
- Network: Antena 3
- Cast: Veki Velilla, Jordi Aguilar, Ginés García Millán, Òscar Rabadán, Josep Maria Pou, Tristán Ulloa, Aitor Luna, Pablo Derqui
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4944694/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: earnest, sweeping, melancholic, gritty, absorbing

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively, praising its ambitious medieval scope and faithful adaptation of the novel, with a moderate overall rating.

## Synopsis

Cathedral of the Sea (2018) is a Spanish historical drama miniseries created by Rodolf Sirera for Antena 3. Set in fourteenth century Barcelona, it follows Arnau Estanyol (Aitor Luna), a serf who flees the abuses of feudal lords in the countryside and takes refuge in the prosperous fishing district of La Ribera. There he is drawn into the construction of Santa Maria del Mar, the largest Marian temple of its age, a project that becomes the backdrop for his ambitions and his survival. Around him move Josep Maria Pou as Sahat, Tristan Ulloa as Padre Albert, Ginés García Millán as Grau Puig and Pablo Derqui as Joan, each entangled in the city's guilds, rival families and religious power. The engine is simple and driving: a man with nothing must build a future in a city that wants to keep him in his place. Eight fifty-minute episodes unfold as one continuous story across a single season, with brutal street life, labor on the scaffolds and intrigues of the powerful set against the rising cathedral. The tone is earnest and sweeping, melancholic about the cost of ambition yet warmly absorbed in craft and community. Fans of The Pillars of the Earth and Game of Thrones will find resonance in its medieval class struggle and its wide canvas of ordinary people.

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