Barcelona - Discover Spain: Experience the Best of Spain - page 118

man tower. Below ground awaits a remarkable walk through excavated Roman and
Visigothic ruins , complete with sections of a Roman street, baths and shops, and
the remains of a Visigothic basilica.
The Saló del Tinell Offline map Google map was the royal palace's throne hall,
a masterpiece of strong, unfussy Catalan Gothic, built in the mid-14th century with
wide, rounded arches holding up a wooden roof. The Capella Reial de Santa
Àgata Offline map Google map , whose spindly bell tower rises from the northeast
side of Plaça del Rei, was the palace chapel and dates from the same period.

PLAÇA DE SANT JOSEP ORIOL & AROUND
This small plaza is the prettiest in the Barri Gòtic. Its bars and cafes attract buskers
and artists, and make it a lively place to hang out for a while. The Gothic Església
de Santa Maria del Pi Offline map Google map ( 9.30am-1pm & 5-8.30pm;
Liceu) , completed in the 16th century, dominates the square. The beautiful rose
window above its entrance on Plaça del Pi is reputedly the world's biggest. Anarch-
ists' fire gutted the church's interior in 1936 and most of the stained glass is mod-
ern.

Square, Church

SINAGOGA MAJOR
Offline map Google map

Synagogue

(Main Synagogue; Click here ; www.calldebarcelona.org ; Carrer de Marlet 5; admission
€2 donation; 10.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-3pm Sat & Sun; Liceu) The area
between Carrer dels Banys Nous, to the east of the Església de Santa Maria del Pi,
and Plaça de Sant Jaume is known as the Call, and was Barcelona's Jewish
quarter - and centre of learning - from at least the 11th century until anti-Semitism
saw the Jews expelled from it in 1424. Here the sparse remains of what is purpor-
ted to be the medieval Sinagoga Major have been revealed and returned to occa-
sional use as a functioning temple. Remnants of medieval and Roman-era walls re-
main, suggesting (given their orientation towards Jerusalem) that there may have
been a Jewish place of worship here in Roman times.

PLAÇA REIAL & AROUND
Just south of Carrer de Ferran, Plaça Reial Offline map is an elegant shady
square surrounded by eateries, nightspots and budget accommodation. Its 19th-
century neoclassical architecture (which replaced a centuries-old monastery) would

Square