Secrets of the Gothic Quarter


 Walking tour of the oldest part of Barcelona

 

Duration: 2 hours

Transport: Not needed (optional pick up and drop off)

Price: 200€ per group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information about the main points:

 

Barcelona Cathedral: The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries. It is built on the site of a Paleo-Christian basilica. Work began on the building during the Romanesque period, but it was finished according to Gothic style, which was the prevailing style at the time of its completion.

 

Casa de l’Ardiaca: The Archdeacon’s House was the residence of the eclesiastical hierarchy from the 12th century onwards. It is a building which is a fusion of all eras and styles: Gothic, Renaissance-style, modernisme elements, and at the back of the house is a wall underpinning part of the ancient Roman wall of Barcelona.

 

Plaça Sant Jaume: It was the place where the main roads of the Roman colony of Barcino crossed, the Forum. Currently the Palace of the Palau de la Generalitat and the Town House are located on this square.

 

Palau de la Generalitat: It is one of the few buildings of medieval origin in Europe that still functions as a seat of government and houses the institution that originally built it. The original building was purchased in 1400 in the former Jewish Quarter. In 1596 was designed the current principal façade on the Plaça de Sant Jaume, in the Renaissance style. This is the first grand façade of this architectural style in Catalonia.

 

Roman colums: These are the ruins of the old Temple of Augustus which its four columns are preserved on top of Mont Tàber.

 

Plaça del Rei: It is a 14th Century medieval public square that is surrounded by the Palau Reial Major, the Saló del Tinell, the Palau del Lloctinent ("Lieutenant's Palace"), the 15th century Torre Mirador del Rei Martí ("King Martin’s Watchtower"), the Capilla Reial de Santa Àgata ("Royal Chapel of St Agatha"), and the Palau Clariana-Padellàs, the last of which was moved to here stone by stone in 1931 from Carrer Mercaders and is now the entrance to the “Museu d'Història de la Ciutat”.

 

Jewish Quarter: (7th- to 14th-century) Carrer del Call, Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call, Carrer Marlet, and Arc de Sant Ramón del Call mark the heart of the Call or Jewish Quarter whose the most striking characteristic is the narrow streets. The Jewish community produced many leading physicians, economists, and scholars in medieval Barcelona. The reproduction of a plaque bearing Hebrew text on the corner of Carrer Marlet was the only physical reminder of the Jewish presence here until the medieval synagogue reopened in 2003.

 

Plaça Sant Felip Neri: This is one of the most charming places in Barcelona. It originally was part of the cemetery called " Montjuïc del Bisbe". The small square has a fountain in the middle and two Renaissance buildings: the Coppersmiths' Guildhouse and the Shoemakers' Guildhouse. It's baroque church was built in 1752 and has an unfortunate history. During the Spanish Civil War a bomb fell on it and killed the 20 children seeking shelter inside. You can still see evidence of the explosion on the church's façade.