Today I would like to pay tribute to one of the places inside the Gothic Quarter I like the most: La Plaça del Rei. I highlighted this square in a post in which I spoke about some lovely streets and squares the Barcelona Gothic Quarter enclose.
The buildings around La Plaça del Rei in Barcelona are, probably, the Gothic architectural ensemble which best exemplifies the medieval past of Barcelona. The Palau Reial Major (Royal Palace), and its surrounding buildings, enclose a lovely and peaceful square next to the Barcelona Cathedral where you can try to imagine the look the medieval city of Barcelona had.
The buildings which enclose La Plaça del Rei are:
- Royal Palace
- Santa Agata Chapel
- Lieutenant's Palace
- Clariana-Padellàs House
Next I would like to share with you some pictures of this charming square and the buildings which enclose it.
Plaça del Rei
The imposing Palau Reial (Royal Palace) appears at the back of the Plaça del Rei in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. This palace was the residence of the Catalan counts from the 13th to the early 15th centuries and is predominantly Gothic in style
Staircase of El Palau Reial in La Plaça del Rei
Gothic windows of Santa Agata chapel in La Plaça del Rei
View of la Plaça del Rei from the staircase of El Palau Reial
Palau Reial
Watchtower of El Palau Reial behind the facade of El Palau del Lloctinent
La Plaça del Rei is one of the most beautiful places in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter
Another view of the watchtower of El Palau Reial in La Plaça del Rei
The Great Hall, or Saló del Tinell, with its round arches, is the most representative and beautiful room inside El Palau Reial
Capella de Santa Agata (Santa Agata Chapel)
On one side of the Royal Palace, on top of the old Roman wall of Barcelona, you can see the 14th-century royal chapel of Santa Àgata, built in catalan gothic style, which contains the valuable Contestable altarpiece by Jaume Huguet
Ceiling of Santa Agata chapel
Gothic stained glass windows of Santa Agata chapel
Inside Santa Agata chapel
Another view of the bell-tower of Santa Àgata Chapel from another point outside La Plaça del ReiPalau del Lloctinent (Lieutenant's Palace)
Detail of the facade of El Palau del Lloctinent (Lieutenant's Palace), which is currently home to the Archive of the Crown of Aragon
Main facade of the Lieutenant's Palace in Plaça del Rei
Courtyard inside the Lieutenant's Palace
Casa Clariana-Padellàs (Clariana-Padellàs House)
In front of the Royal Palace, the last building you can see from Plaça del Rei is the Casa Clariana-Padellàs, the home of the city’s history museum, the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona, which contains the archaeological remains of Roman Barcelona
Courtyard inside La Casa Clariana-Padellàs, one of the buildings which enclose La Plaça del Rei in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter
The Watchtower of El Palau Reial in La Plaça del Rei lit at night during La Mercè
Other fantastic places to visit inside the Barcelona Gothic Quarter are:
- Sant Just i Pastor church and square
- Plaça del Pi and Santa Maria del Pi church
- Plaça de Sant Felip Neri
- Plaça Reial
- Santa Anna church
- Sant Pere de les Puelles church
- Santa Maria del Mar church in Born-La Ribera district
- Barcelona Cathedral
- Narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter (Call Jueu)
- La Casa de la Ardiaca
- La Casa dels Canonges
- Carrer Petritxol
If you like gothic architecture, you would be interested in visiting the Pedralbes Monastery.
Also, I would like to give you some useful information about Plaça del Rei:
- Address: Pl. del Rei, s/n
- Phone: 933 151 111
- How to get there:
- Metro L4, stop Jaume I.
- Bus 17, 19, 40, 45 and 59.
- Bus Turístic, stop Barri Gòtic.
Finally, clicking on the next link you will find links to other beautiful places in Barcelona, among them, more nice churches inside the Gothic Quarter.
