Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CHURCH
ESGLÉSIA DE SANTS JUST I PASTOR
93 301 74 33;
www.basilicasantjust.cat
; Plaça de Sant Just 5;
11am-2pm
& 5-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun; Liceu or Jaume I)
This somewhat neglected, single-nave church, with chapels on either side of the buttressing,
was built in 1342 in Catalan Gothic style on what is reputedly the site of the oldest parish
church in Barcelona. Inside, you can admire some fine stained-glass windows. In front of it,
in a pretty little square that was used as a set (a smelly Parisian marketplace) in 2006 for
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,
is what is claimed to be the city's oldest Gothic fountain.
On the morning of 11 September 1924, Antoni Gaudí was arrested as he attempted to
enter the church from this square to attend Mass. In those days of the dictatorship of General
Primo de Rivera, it took little to ruffle official feathers, and Gaudí's refusal to speak Spanish
to the overbearing Guardia Civil officers who had stopped him earned him the better part of
a day in the cells until a friend came to bail him out.
HISTORIC SITE
CENTRE D'INTERPRETACIÓ DEL CALL
11am-2pm Tue-Fri, to 7pm Sat & Sun; Jaume I or Liceu)
Once a 14th-century house of the Jewish weaver Jucef Bonhiac, this small visitors centre is
dedicated to the history of Barcelona's Jewish quarter, El Call. Glass sections in the ground
floor allow you to inspect Mr Bonhiac's former wells and storage space. The house, also
known as the Casa de l'Alquimista (Alchemist's House), hosts a modest display of Jewish
artefacts, including ceramics excavated in the area of El Call, along with explanations and
maps of the one-time Jewish quarter.
SYNAGOGUE
SINAGOGA MAJOR
suggested donation €2.50; 10.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 2.30pm Sat & Sun; Liceu)
When an Argentine investor bought a run-down electrician's store with an eye to converting
it into central Barcelona's umpteenth bar, he could hardly have known he had stumbled onto
the remains of what could be the city's main medieval synagogue (some historians cast
doubt on the claim). A guide will explain what is thought to be the significance of the site in
various languages.
Fragments of medieval and Roman-era walls remain in the small vaulted space that you
enter from the street. Also remaining are tanners' wells installed in the 15th century. The
second chamber has been spruced up for use as a synagogue. A remnant of late-Roman-era
