{"id":52322,"date":"2015-05-27T15:06:03","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T13:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=52322"},"modified":"2015-05-28T00:34:09","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T22:34:09","slug":"sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/","title":{"rendered":"Sant Felip Neri and around|Hidden Corners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m sure that if you\u2019re visiting Barcelona you\u2019ve already visited (or you\u2019re planning to) \u00a0the Cathedral square. The cathedral is a must-see, and you probably would have taken the narrow street that connects this square with another one: Sant Jaume, where the Town Hall and the Generalitat Palace buildings are. But perhaps you missed one of the most beautiful corners in the area, or unless you specifically looked for them you may have missed a couple of details or stories \u00a0in the area\u2026 Do you want to fill in the gaps?<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/#The_aqueduct_and_the_Bishops_House\" title=\"The aqueduct and the Bishop\u2019s House\">The aqueduct and the Bishop\u2019s House<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/#Sant_Felip_Neri_square\" title=\"Sant Felip Neri square\">Sant Felip Neri square<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/#Santa_Eulalias_descent\" title=\"Santa Eulalia\u2019s descent\">Santa Eulalia\u2019s descent<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/#The_Bishops_bridge\" title=\"The Bishop\u2019s bridge\">The Bishop\u2019s bridge<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sant-felip-neri-and-aroundhidden-corners\/#Sant_Jaume_square\" title=\"Sant Jaume square\">Sant Jaume square<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_aqueduct_and_the_Bishops_House\"><\/span><b>The aqueduct and the Bishop\u2019s House<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri2.jpg\"><img class=\" size-medium wp-image-52335 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri2\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>We start this tour at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.catedralbcn.org\/index.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">cathedral<\/a>, just in its corner we\u2019ll take Carrer del Bisbe (Bishop Street), but before that, pay attention to your left. You can see there some remains of the reconstructed <strong>aqueduct<\/strong> that provided water to the city in Roman times. In fact this street matches the old Roman <i>Decumanus<\/i> street, and this was one of the entrances to the city walls. The two towers that you can see at the beginning of the street were originally part of the gate that was here during Roman times. The house to the right was the <strong>Bishop\u2019s Palace<\/strong>, hence the name of the street.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sant_Felip_Neri_square\"><\/span><b>Sant Felip Neri square<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Continue along Bishop Street until you find a small square: Garriga and Bachs. There, turn right at the second street before going on (Sant Sever street) and from there take the first street to the right. You\u2019ll find <strong>Sant Felip Neri<\/strong>, a beautiful and peaceful square with a fountain in the middle and some historical buildings. It\u2019s often a bit busy, but I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll feel as if transported to the middle ages. This square is featured in the film <i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zutiIw_2e2g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Perfume<\/a><\/i> and it\u2019s also the location of a video of the band Evanescence (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5anLPw0Efmo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">My Immortal<\/a>). Notice the marks in the fa\u00e7ade of<img class=\" size-medium wp-image-52338 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri9-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri9\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/> the church opposite the fountain. There\u2019s a sad story behind these marks. These are marks of the bombings of the city during the <strong>Spanish Civil War<\/strong>. One of the bombs killed more than 40 people (mostly kids) that were sheltering in the church. The other buildings you can see in the square are the old shoemaker\u2019s and the coppersmith\u2019s guilds, originally located in other areas of the old town and moved here during a relocation of historical buildings.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Santa_Eulalias_descent\"><\/span><b>Santa Eulalia\u2019s descent<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you leave the square and go back to Sant Sever street, <img class=\"  wp-image-52339 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri5-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri5\" width=\"206\" height=\"275\" \/>continue to your right before returning to Bishop Street. You\u2019ll see that the street is narrower and it eventually goes down creating a descent, where it changes its name to <strong>Baixada Santa Eulalia<\/strong> (Santa Eulalia\u2019s descent). In a small corner you\u2019ll find a small altar with a sculpture of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eulalia_of_Barcelona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Santa Eulalia<\/a> (co-patron saint of the city) and some candles and flowers. The history says that Santa Eulalia was put in a barrel with knives and thrown down this descent by the Romans as part of her 13 tortures for refusing to recant her Christianity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Bishops_bridge\"><\/span><b>The Bishop\u2019s bridge<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Retrace your steps and go back to Bishop Street, where you\u2019ll see lots of tourists taking photographs at the famous bridge. Many of them may be surprised to find out that the bridge is not that old. It was, in fact, built in 1928 by <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Joan_Rubi%C3%B3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Joan Rubi\u00f3 i Bellver<\/a>, one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/gaudis-architecture-in-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gaudi<\/a>\u2019s disciples, and designed in Gothic style just to fit with the rest of the area. There are <img class=\"  wp-image-52337 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri3-300x256.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri3\" width=\"264\" height=\"225\" \/>several urban legends regarding the bridge and the mysterious skull you can see below, crossed by a dagger. One of them is that you should ask for a wish when walking backwards under the bridge, but you should look at the skull while doing so. \u00a0According to the second legend, Barcelona will crumble if the dagger is removed from the skull.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sant_Jaume_square\"><\/span><b>Sant Jaume square<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Continue under the bridge (any which way you want, that\u2019s your choice) and you will end up in <strong>Sant <img class=\" size-medium wp-image-52334 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri7-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri7\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/>Jaume square<\/strong>, that hosts the Town Hall and the Generalitat Palace (house of the <a href=\"http:\/\/web.gencat.cat\/en\/generalitat\/historia\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Catalan government<\/a>), one opposite the other. This square matches the old centre of the Roman city, where the two main streets in any Roman city (<i>Cardo<\/i> and <i>Decumanus<\/i>) crossed. The square takes its name from the Sant Jaume Church that was originally here, and that was demolished in the 19th century during the rebuilding of the square and Ferran street. The square, apart from being an important location for demonstrations, is also the venue for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/castellers\/\" target=\"_blank\">castellers<\/a>. The two buildings are only open to visitors on special occasions, but you can have a look at the magnificent fa\u00e7ades<img class=\" size-medium wp-image-52336 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/st_felip_neri8-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"st_felip_neri8\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/> from any of the angles of the square. You\u2019ll spot <strong>Sant Jordi<\/strong> killing the dragon in the balcony of the fa\u00e7ade of the Generalitat Palace, a sculpture made during the 19th century.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And our short tour ends here. From Sant Jaume square you can take Ferran street and go to the Rambla or Jaume I street and go to Via Laietana and the Born area.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Remember that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">ShBarcelona<\/a> offers rentals in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/video-gotico\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gothic Quarter<\/a>, perfect for exploring Sant Felip square, the Cathedral and other great areas around Barcelona\u2019s old town.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"52322\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 150px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">2<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m sure that if you\u2019re visiting Barcelona you\u2019ve already visited (or you\u2019re planning to) \u00a0the Cathedral square. The cathedral is a must-see, and you probably would have taken the narrow street that connects this square with another one: Sant Jaume, where the Town Hall and the Generalitat Palace buildings are. But perhaps you missed one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":52331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[615],"tags":[2416,2419,2417],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52322"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52715,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52322\/revisions\/52715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}