roman and medieval barcelona_despina vlahou

UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA

CETA Escuela Univeritaria de Turismo Barcelona

Asignatura: GESTIN DEL PATRIMONIO CULTURAL

Profesora: Silvia Puche

Tema: Memoria de la Salida

ROMAN and MEDIEVAL BARCELONA

Estudiante: DESPINA VLAHOU

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ROMAN and MEDIEVAL BARCELONA

1. Portal de l' ngel

The first point in our visit was the Portal de l' ngel, near the gate of the roman walls of La Rambla.

The gate was opened in the 13th century, because the

city started to expand outside the roman walls; the

place was at first called Portal dels orbs (portal of the

blind), because in that part of the city, outside its the

roman walls, used to gather a lot of blind and

disabled people.1The portal was renamed after 1398,

at the period of Rey Marti l' huma, when, according

to a legend, San Vicente Ferrer saw an angel during

his entrance to the city; and the angel told him that he

was sent by God as a protector of the city of

Barcelona. In memory of this miracle they built a

chapel with the image of an angel in 1466, which was

preserved until the civil war.2 Finally, the sculptor

ngel Ferrant Vzquez decided to donate a sculpture

of an angel to the city, which we can still see in

Avinguda Portal de l' ngel. [fuente: http://www.santoangel.info/custodio-barcelona.htm]

1 Aninguda Portal de l' ngel, http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avinguda_del_Portal_de_l%27%C3%80ngel2 Portal de l' ngel, http://www.bcn.cat/rutaverdaguer/eix_portal.html

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2. Plaa Villa de Madrid

In Plaa Villa de Madrid, in the 1950's, when works took place to bulid a parking, there was revealed

the roman necropolis of Barcelona.

The necropolis is dating back to the

1st century, when the city was

founded. There are about 70 tombs

from the 2nd and the 3rd century, in

different shapes such as classic

tombs or even tombs in amphoras -

along a small path, which show us

the way that dead were buried at

that period. The necropolis was

outside the roman walls to avoid

sanitary problems. [Fuente: elaboracin propia]

3. Arcadas

In Plaa del Vuit de Marc there are revealed several

arcades with columns that used to be a conductor or

water to the city of Barcelona back in the roman period.

The arcades formed an aqueduct which was bringing

the water to the city as well as the arcades of the

roman gate near the Cathedral. The arcades were well-

preverved because under them there were built the

houses of the medieval period; and they were revealed

after the medieval buildings were demolished. [Fuente: elaboracin propia]

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4. Religiosa placa

Near that square we can also see a religious badge/

plaque, with a representation of the Annunciation of

Holy Mary. This badge is from the Monastery of Poblet

(and probably is a signal of the procurador of the

monastery)

[Fuente: elaboracin propia]

5. Entrada de la muralla romana

Through Carrer dels Arcs we

reached Plaa Nova and the two

towers that were holding a grand

arcade of the entrance of the

roman city. Behind the roman

walls you stand in the crossroad

of the two basic streets in Roman

cities; Cardo Maximus which

leaded to the Roman forum,

where Plaa St. Jaume is now

located, and Decumanus Maximus, today Carrer del Bisbe.3 [Fuente: elaboracin propia]

In its foundation, Barcelona was a Roman colony known as Colonia Iulia Auguta Faventia Paterna

Barcino, between the years 9 and 10 BC. At the beginning, Barcino was a small place, with just about

2.000 inhabitants and the houses were attached to the walls.

3 http://qrgotic.com/cardo-maximus/?lang=en

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6. Capilla de Santa Llcia

Walking towards the Cathedral we met the chapel

of Santa Llcia, dated from the 3rd century. On

the walls of the chapel you can see some of the

curiosities in Barcelona; on the stones of its walls

there are still some marks from the builders of the

chapel, p.ex. There is a mark saying 'A 2 CANAS

1 POZO', which means that you will meet a well

in 2 canas = metrical system.


7. La Muralla Romana

In the the 4th-5th century the city walls

were reinforced with bigger stones. In the

Casa de l' Ardiaca of Barcelona we can see

the later walls as well as their columns,

which are built with smaller stones dated

from the 1st century.


8. Buzn modernista

Outside, on the main faade of the Casa de l' Ardiaca, you can

find a modern mailbox designed in 1895, by the architect

Llus Domnech i Montaner for the Lawyers Association. Its

modernist elements are deeply symbolic, and consist a critic

towards justice: justice should be rapid as the three swallows,

whereas bureaucratic procedures, symbolised by the turtle,

represent the obstacles in legal matters.4 [Fuente: elaboracin propia]

4 Roman wall and aqueducts Casa de l' Ardiaca, http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/English

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9. La Catedral

The Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia

was founded in 343, but it was not finished until

the 19th century. In that period Miguel Girona y

Agrafel gave money to construct the facade of

the Cathedral; but inspired by the neogotic style

of the 15th century they asked to change the

design of the facade; that is why the facade of the

Cathedral of Barcelona does not have the same

catalan-gotic style us the churches of Santa Maria

del Mar and Santa Maria del Pi.


10. La muralla medieval

The medieval walls where built over the roman walls;

that is the reason why for example you can see that the

bell tower of the chapel of Santa Agata is the

continuation of a roman tower. The same procedure was

followed and for the building of the medieval houses,

e.g. in Casa Padells the stones were transferred from a

roman street.


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11. Plaa de l' ngel

From Plaa de l' ngel it started the road that was leading to the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar; and

there you could find the gate from the road which was coming from the sea.

12. Hotel Mercer

Hotel Mercer is an other example of a medieval building that was attached to the roman walls one of

the many remains of medieval buildings that you can encounter in Barrio Gotico. The architect of the

hotel Rafael Moneo, preserved the roman walls in the building and it is now considered a monument.

13. Plaa St. Jaume

Plaa St. Jaume was considered the square of the carriers of the medieval city, and Palau Ferran was the

house of the family Ferran who had the monopoly of mail in that period.

14. Termas portuarias

Next to the roman walls, near the entrance that was towards

the sea, there were found the remains of the roman baths of the

1st century. These baths were giving the opportunity to clean

themselves not only to visitors but also to workers who were

coming from the sea.

[fuente: http://w110.bcn.cat/portal/site/CiutatVella]

15. Capella de Sant Cristofol

Next to the roman baths there is the chapel of Sant

Cristofol, who is considered to be the protector of

travelers and transporters. The chapel was built in the

medieval period in 1503, according to its epigraph.


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16. Pati Llimona civil center

During the works for the opening of the Pati Llimona civil center there were revealed 17 metres of the

roman walls of the city. The walls date from the 4th century, but their base is even back from the 1st

century, that is why it was built with small stones. You have also the possibility to see the base of one

tower and the original floor.

[fuente: http://www.lavanguardia.com/cultura/20120314/54268794481/obras-pati-llimona-destapan-

muralla-romana.html]

17. Fachada del Ajuntamiento

Near Plaa St. Jaume, on a building of the municipality

in Barrio Gotico we can encounter one other curiosity. A

medieval of the 19th century building is attached to a

previous one from the 14th century, and preserves half of

the original facade of the building. That happened

because the architect was was in charge of

reconstructing the facade decided to keep the original

one as well. Outside the building we can also see a

watering hole, which was used by horses and their cavaliers.5 [Fuente: elaboracin propia]

5 La fachada mutilada, http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/index.php/t-161366.html

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18. Acropolis

The Roman Acropolis was located on the

hill of Mont Taber, which was considered

to be the highest point of the roman city -

eventhough it was only 16,9m from the

sea level, and there was also the forum for many years.

On the Acropolis, where now is the Centre Excursionista

de Catalunya, there are found the remains of some

columns of a roman temple, devoted to Augustus. The

temple was built in the 1st century, but had different uses

as time passes by; its columns were even used for the

building of the medieval buildings.


19. Plaa del Rei

In Plaa del Rei there are is the Palau Reial Major, of

the crown of Aragn. The palace was the residence of

the Catalan counts from the 13th to the early 15th

century, and the history of the building can be traced

back to the 11th century. Next to the palace there I s also

placed the Archive of the Crown of Aragn and Closing

off the Plaa del Rei is the Casa Clariana-Padells, the

home of the citys history museum, the Museu

dHistria de la Ciutat de Barcelona, which contains

the archaeological remains of Roman Barcelona.6

6 Plaa del Rei, http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/Placa-del-Rei/_3Ngb8YjSpL3U56ScBHOWcxpDev_Vr2xe1qXDr9B34i-75f5PS7U6514PAjDnrFnz

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20. Inscripcin Hebrea

On the outer wall of the building of the Arxiu de la Corona dArag, towards the eastern wall of the

Cathedral, we can encounter some Hebraic inscriptions; because these stones were brought after the

demolishing of the Jewish quarter of the city. Some of them are even funeral, since they belonged to the

tombs of the Jewish cemetery of Montuic.

Finally, on the eastern wall of the Cathedral, there can be seen some emblems, such us a boot, which

was made because the trade of the shoemakers of the city donated the money to build this wall.

It is easily realised that Barcelona is an ancient city, with a history of over 2000 years. All these years,

together with the subsequent acquisition of the city by different nations, have left numerous

monuments from different periods of time. As far as the Roman and Medieval times are conserned, the

city provides us with a lot of documentation to recognise the evolution of the city, as a living organism.

The city was a small town, numbering only 2000 residents, during the roman times; while it grew and

expanded during the medieval times, braking the roman walls and creating

new ones to cover its new needs. Moreover, we can observe that the city did

not hesitate to take advantage of the existing establishments to cover its

constructive needs. For example, we see that the medieval houses were built

over, under or even between the roman monuments. E.g. medieval houses

were built under the roman arcades, attached to the walls or even among the

columns of the Temple of Augustus. This spacial economy of the city gave it

the advantage to preserve the ancient ruins, which were revealed when the

later buildings were taken down.

What made me most impression during this tour through the Roman and Medieval city of Barcelona,

was its hidden secrets. It was very impressive that most of the roman buildings were hidden under the

medieval ones and that many ruins were exposed when the later ones were demolished. I was

impressed by the preservation of so many monuments, most of which are now part of the bases of

newer modern buildings, such as modern Museums, Civil Centres or even hotels and shops in the

district of Barrio Gotico. This kind of tour, into the hidden treasures of history gets you to have a better

insight into the city's past and appreciate more the existence of all those institutions that preserve and

help in the transmission of tradition and history.

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Barcelona is a very interesting city to study the evolution of an urban destination, since the early

centuries AD until the latest modern times. It is a city with one of the most well-preserved historical

centres, where you can see an entire district as it was in the medieval times; and this is the reason why

it has also been an ideal place to give inspiration to directors for filming historical movies. It is a

treasure for the recent generation and an obligation for next generations to continue preserving and

studying the historic monuments of their city.

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roman and medieval barcelona_despina vlahou

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