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the city’s earliest Christian martyrs, and it’s claimed (though there’s no real
evidence) that this is the oldest parish church site in Barcelona, held to have
first supported a foundation at the beginning of the ninth century; the restored
interior, though, dates from the mid-fourteenth century. In the late Middle
Ages it was the only place where Jews could swear legal oaths in deals with
Christians, and even today a last will and testament declared verbally here has
the full force of a written document.
Plaça Reial and around
Of all the old-town squares, the most popular with visitors is the elegant
nineteenth-century
Plaça Reial
– hidden behind an archway, just off the
Ramblas (to the left, walking down;
o
Liceu). Laid out in around 1850 by
Francesc Daniel Molina, the Italianate square is studded with tall palm trees and
decorated iron lamps (made by the young Antoni Gaudí), bordered by high,
pastel-coloured arcaded buildings, and centred on a fountain depicting the
Three Graces.Taking in the sun at one of the benches puts you in very mixed
company – punks, bikers, buskers, Catalan eccentrics, tramps and bemused
tourists drinking a coffee at one of the pavement cafés. It used to be a bit dodgy
in Plaça Reial, but most of the truly unsavoury characters have been driven off
over the years as tourists have staked an increasing claim to the square.There’s
an almost permanent police presence, and the surrounding bars, clubs and
restaurants are becoming increasingly more upmarket.
If you pass through Plaça Reial on a Sunday morning, look in on the
coin
and stamp market
(10am–2pm). Otherwise, the arcaded passageways
connecting the square with the surrounding streets throw up a few interesting
sights.Tucked away on the north side on c/del Vidre is the quirky
Herborista
del Rey
(closed Mon), an early nineteenth-century herbalist’s shop, which
stocks more than 250 medicinal herbs designed to combat all complaints.Walk
down the opposing alley on the south side of the square and you’ll emerge on
c/dels Escudellers, right opposite the turning spits of
Los Caracoles
restaurant,
Plaça Reial
BARRI GÒTIC
|
Plaça Reial
and around