….. and more….>

---

Public Bikes, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Laneway, Carrer de la Petxina, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Colonnades, Mercado de La Boqueria, Plaça de Sant Josep, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

La Jamoneria, Mercado de La Boqueria, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

La Jamoneria = The Ham Shop
De La Dehesa a su Mesa = From the Meadow to Your Table

Sweet Shop, Mercado de La Boqueria, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Seafood Stall, Mercado de La Boqueria, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Mercado de La Boqueria (markets) is a landmark of Barcelona

Sculptures, Església de la Mare de Déu de Betlem, Carrer del Carme, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Church Interior, Església de la Mare de Déu de Betlem, Carrer del Carme, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

In 1553, the Company of Jesus, founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, obtained permission from the city’s councillors to build the first church of the order in Barcelona, on the site of a former chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem. It was consecrated in 1555 but was destroyed by a great fire in the 17th century. A new baroque-style church was built in the early 18th century but was closed to worshippers following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain in 1767. The parish church of Mare de Déu de Betlem was founded in 1835 but, unfortunately, suffered a second fire in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. The roof and sumptuous baroque interior were consumed by the flames.

The baroque façade and side walls survive today as living witnesses to the past. The main façade, on Carrer del Carme, has a curved pediment and is framed by Solomonic columns. They are embellished by beautiful sculptures of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the nobleman and Jesuit saint, Francisco Borja. Above the door is a bas-relief featuring a Nativity scene. Every Christmas, the church of Betlem holds a major exhibition of Nativity scenes which are a popular attraction. The interior of the church consists of a basilica-type single nave and a semi-circular apse, side chapels with a narthex or vestibule below the choir stalls, covered by a cylindrical canopy. The side chapels are interconnected and have elliptical domes with lanterns.

Street Lamp, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

La “Porta Ferriça”, Carrera de la Portaferrissa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Inscription:

The “Porta Ferriça”, built in the 13th century, was one of the gates of the second wall of Barcelona. An iron bar was set into this gate and used as a unit of measurement in the city. This iron bar gave the gate and the street that led to the gate from the center of the Old City their name. The Casa Gralla, a beautiful Plateresque building, was built on Puertaferrisa Street at the beginning of the 16th century, although it disappeared due to the opening of the Calle del Duc de Victoria. The Casa Pinós of the Marquis de Barbará was likewise constructed here, but it was also demolished in the mid-19th century. The construction of the Moya Palace (today Comillas) in 1774, led to the demolition of the old gate.

Doorway, Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

“Scala Dei”, Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Barcelonia, Catalonia, Spain

Translation:

King Alfonso de Aragon sent two knights throughout Catalonia looking for a suitable place to found a monastery. Under the Sierra del Montsant they found a shepherd. He told them that in that place, the dream of Jacob had been reproduced, that is, there would be a ladder there that climbed to the sky, with angels coming and going. The knights considered it the right place to build a monastery, calling it naturally “Scala Dei” (i.e., God’s Ladder).

Street Lamp, Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Baixada de Santa Eulàlia, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Mosaics, Art Escudellers Gift Shop, Carrer dels Banys Nous, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Laneway, Carrer de la Trinitat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Col·legi Sagrada Família – Avinyó, Carrer d’Avinyó, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Escuela de Artes Aplicadas y Oficios Artísticos, Cnr Carrer de Cervantes & Carrer d’Avinyó, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Escuela de Artes Aplicadas y Oficios Artísticos = School of Applied Arts & Artistic Trades

Carrer de Cervantes, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Sculpture, Plaça de George Orwell, Carrer de n’Arai, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Carrer Nou de Sant Francesc, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Teatre Principal, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

The Teatre Principal (in Catalan, or in Spanish Teatro Principal) is the oldest theatre in Barcelona, founded in 1579, built between 1597 and 1603 and rebuilt several times, mainly in 1788 and again in 1848. The theatre was originally named the Teatro de la Santa Cruz in Spanish (or Teatre de la Santa Creu in Catalan). It is located on the famous avenue of La Rambla.

Ticket Booth, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Ship’s Anchor, Comandància Naval de Barcelona, La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Junta d’Obres del Port, Carrer de Circumval·lació Tram Dos, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Port Authority

Cable Cars, Torre Jaume I, Port of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

---