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The Plaça de Sant Jaume (, in
The Plaça Sant Jaume is located at the former center of the
The Plaça de Sant Jaume (, in English
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"Saint James's Square") is a square at the center of the Old City of Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
and the administrative heart of both the city and surrounding Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
. This is because the Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
of the Generalitat of Catalonia
The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label=Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed b ...
and the City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
are located here across from one another.
This square's origin stems from the early-19th century, when the new main façade of City Hall was built and the former church of Sant Jaume was demolished.
History
The Plaça Sant Jaume is located at the former center of the Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
city of Barcino, where its main streets, the ''cardo
A cardo (plural ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The cardo maximus, or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented street ...
'' (modern day Llibreteria and Call streets) and '' decumanus'' (now the streets of Bisbe/Ciutat/Regomir), crossed. At this junction there was the forum and the Temple of Augustus, of which four columns are preserved on top of Mont Tàber, found at the adjacent Paradís Street.
The square takes its modern name from the church of Sant Jaume, which had been located at the site of the square since medieval times. Formerly, the city council of Barcelona met in the porch at the front of that church, until it bought a number of nearby homes that would house the future headquarters of the institution on the neighboring street. The old church was demolished in 1823 when Ferran Street was being built; its demolition also allowed for the square to be rebuilt as it exists today. Prior to these demolitions, the square was limited to a small angular space, with the rest of the future plaza being occupied by the same church, its cemetery, and the houses of the Magistracy and the General Court of the Veguer
Catalonia is internally divided into eight regional divisions, known in Catalan as ( singular ''vegueria'', ), following the regional plan of Catalonia. Each vegueria is further divided into ''comarques'' and municipalities, with the exception ...
.
The Plaça Sant Jaume has also been called "Constitution Square" in various historical periods, and this name appeared on a plaque on the façade of the City Hall (removed in 2013).
See also
* Street names in Barcelona *Urban planning of Barcelona
The urban planning of Barcelona developed in accordance with the historical and territorial changes of the city, and in line with other defining factors of public space, such as architecture, urban infrastructure and the adaptation and maintenanc ...
References