In the main street in Almería, early-20C buildings rub shoulders with modern tower blocks; shops, banks, cafeterias and bars are to be found there. Note the Merchants' Circle (Círculo Mercantil), part of the decoration of which dates back to 1920, and the Cervantes Theatre, a local institution, which opened in 1921. Nearby, the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Mar contains a venerated statue of the patron saint of Almería; the Arts School is housed in a pretty 18C cloister.