The Barri Gòtic corresponds in large part to the old Roman city of Barcino, founded around 10 BC. The Roman cardo and decumanus met at the top of the former Mount Táber, now the Plaça Sant Jaume.
History & origins
The neighbourhood remains made up of several sub-districts that have kept their own distinct character: the Call (Jewish quarter), Sants Just i Pastor, Santa Maria del Pi, la Catedral, Santa Anna, la Mercè and el Palau.
The cathedral's grand neo-Gothic façade, which gives the neighbourhood its popular name, has nothing medieval about it: it was built between 1887 and 1912, long after construction of the building began in 1298.
Heritage & architecture
The Call, an area of narrow alleys and hidden passageways behind the cathedral, was abandoned after the pogroms and massacres of 1391, nearly a century before the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Construction of the Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia Cathedral began in 1298. At the top of Mount Táber, on Carrer del Paradís, four columns from the Temple of Augustus (1st century BC) form the neighbourhood's most striking Roman remains. Another illustration of the neighbourhood's neo-Gothic illusion: the Pont del Bisbe, the suspended bridge that looks medieval and links the Generalitat to the Casa dels Canonges on Carrer del Bisbe, was in fact built in 1928 by the architect Joan Rubió i Bellver for the 1929 International Exposition.
Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia Cathedral
Construction begun 1298, façade 1887-1912The Call
Former medieval Jewish quarterAbandoned after 1391.
Plaça Sant Jaume
Top of Mount TáberCrossing point of the Roman cardo and decumanus.
Temple of Augustus
Roman remains, 1st century BCFour columns, on Carrer del Paradís.
Pont del Bisbe
Built in 1928A suspended bridge with a medieval look, on Carrer del Bisbe.
Sants Just i Pastor
Historic sub-districtSanta Maria del Pi
Historic sub-districtAround the church of the same name.
Culture & living traditions
Contrary to what its name suggests, the "Gothic quarter" is an identity built in the early 20th century rather than a name inherited from the Middle Ages. The Barri Gòtic's identity remains split across several historic sub-districts, each of which has kept its own distinct character.
Suggested itinerary
Morning · 9am-12pm: Roman Barcino
Plaça Sant Jaume, Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia Cathedral.
Afternoon · 12pm-5pm: The Call
The alleyways of the Call, the Sants Just i Pastor and Santa Maria del Pi sub-districts.
Evening · 5pm onwards: Neighbourhood life
Terraces on the neighbourhood's squares, the night-time atmosphere of the historic heart.
Suggested itinerary, not field-tested.
Frequently asked questions
Why is this neighbourhood called "Barri Gòtic"?
The name is a tourist slogan coined in the early 20th century by the architect Adolfo Florensa, from an idea by the writer Ramón Rucabado; before that, the neighbourhood was simply known as the "Cathedral quarter".
Is the cathedral's façade really medieval?
No, construction began in 1298, but the neo-Gothic façade seen today was added between 1887 and 1912.
What is the Call?
Barcelona's former medieval Jewish quarter, abandoned after the pogroms and massacres of 1391.
Does the Barri Gòtic match the Roman city of Barcino?
Largely yes, the Roman cardo and decumanus already structured the neighbourhood around what is now the Plaça Sant Jaume.
Is the Barri Gòtic a single, uniform neighbourhood?
No, it brings together several sub-districts: the Call, Sants Just i Pastor, Santa Maria del Pi, la Catedral, Santa Anna, la Mercè and el Palau.
