Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Architecture
Famed for its architectural treasures, Barcelona has striking Gothic cathed-
rals, fantastical Modernista creations and avant-garde works from more recent
days. The city's great building boom first began in the late Middle Ages, when
Barcelona was seat of the Catalan empire. The late 19th century was another
time of great ferment, when the city began expanding beyond its medieval
confines and bold new thinkers transformed the city. The third notable era of
design began in the late 1980s and continues today.
The Gothic Period
Barcelona's first big building boom came at the height of the Middle Ages, when its impos-
ing Gothic churches, mansions and shipyards were raised, together creating what survives to
this day as one of the most extensive Gothic quarters in Europe. Most of these architectural
treasures lie within the boundaries of the Ciutat Vella but a few examples can be found bey-
ond, notably the Museu-Monestir de Pedralbes in Sarrià.
Historical Roots
This soaring style took off in France in the 12th century and spread across Europe. Its emer-
gence coincided with Jaume I's march into Valencia and the annexation of Mallorca and Ib-
iza, accompanied by the rise of a trading class and a burgeoning mercantile empire. The
enormous cost of building the grand new monuments could thus be covered by the steady in-
crease in the city's wealth.
Perhaps the single greatest building spurt came under Pere III (1319-87). This is odd in a
sense because, as Dickens might have observed, it was not only the best of times, but also the
worst. By the mid-14th century, when Pere III was in command, Barcelona had been pushed
to the ropes by a series of disasters: famine, repeated plagues and pogroms.
Maybe he didn't notice. He built, or began to build, much of La Catedral, the Drassanes,
the Llotja stock exchange, the Saló del Tinell, the Casa de la Ciutat (which now houses the
town hall) and numerous lesser buildings, not to mention part of the city walls. The churches
of Santa Maria del Pi and Santa Maria del Mar were completed by the end of the 14th cen-
tury.
