{"id":92479,"date":"2017-12-31T13:14:21","date_gmt":"2017-12-31T12:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=92479"},"modified":"2022-02-14T12:02:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T11:02:26","slug":"freemasons-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/freemasons-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Masonic Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Freemasonry<\/strong>, the noted fraternity with its mysterious meanings, was first documented in Spain around 1728. They went through periods of time in which they flourished and others in which they were demonized as heretics. The most noted down period was when General Franco banned them from the country, demolished any existence of <strong>Freemasonry<\/strong>, and persecuted any suspected member for supposed conspiracies against his reign. Freemasonry was legalized again after his death, and its symbols can be seen all over Barcelona to this day. Here are a few insights into the <strong>Freemason<\/strong> presence in Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalonias-history-museum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Catalonia&#8217;s History Museum<\/a><\/em><\/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\/freemasons-barcelona\/#Great_Lodge_of_Spain\" title=\"Great Lodge of Spain\">Great Lodge of Spain<\/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\/freemasons-barcelona\/#Masonic_symbols_in_the_city\" title=\"Masonic symbols in the city\">Masonic symbols in the city<\/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\/freemasons-barcelona\/#Biblioteca_Publica_Rossend_Arus\" title=\"Biblioteca Publica Rossend Ar\u00fas\">Biblioteca Publica Rossend Ar\u00fas<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Great_Lodge_of_Spain\"><\/span>Great Lodge of Spain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_92482\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92482\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-92482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/32773736845_9ec36d8d51_c-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-92482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Canadian Pacific via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">First founded in Madrid, the head of the Spanish <strong>Freemasons<\/strong> is now in Barcelona. It opened and closed repeatedly until the end of Francoism, and the Lodge formally moved to its current location in 2001.\u00a0<span class=\"removed_link\" title=\"https:\/\/translate.googleusercontent.com\/translate_c?depth=1&amp;hl=en&amp;rurl=translate.google.com&amp;sl=ca&amp;sp=nmt4&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http:\/\/gle.org\/&amp;usg=ALkJrhhXT-xSfcXUY_H3jwFVhTuXk30kkw\"><strong>The Great Lodge of Spain<\/strong><\/span> is the regular <strong>mas\u00f3nica<\/strong>\u00a0in the country and is connected with the other Great Lodges around the world.\u00a0They currently have 3,000 members in 170 lodges throughout Spain.\u00a0As they state, the Lodges are open to people who &#8220;make knowledge a principle of search, analysis, debate, and morality a basis for the construction of a universal ethics and humanism that can revise spirituality in our day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Address:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.es\/maps\/place\/Gran+Via+de+les+Corts+Catalanes,+617,+08007+Barcelona\/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x12a4a2f205aae2cf:0x1cda90e0c8579211?sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiUue-w7uXXAhXL1xQKHehbDoQQ8gEIKDAA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 617,\u00a008007\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Masonic_symbols_in_the_city\"><\/span>Masonic symbols in the city<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_92485\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92485\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-92485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/6095657007_b7e76f50c2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-92485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by jaime.silva via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There are hidden symbols of the <strong>Freemasons<\/strong> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/buildings-eixample\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">buildings<\/a> that blend in so well, almost no one notices them. On the facade of a building at Calle Portaferrissa 11, for example, in the Gothic Quarter,\u00a0a <strong>Masonic sign<\/strong> is represented by two boys. At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.catedralbcn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>Barcelona Cathedral<\/strong><\/a>, the<strong> Santa Ll\u00facia Chapel<\/strong> features\u00a0<strong>Masonic<\/strong> set squares and compasses discreetly on the windows and around the burials. The library of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/ajuntament.barcelona.cat\/biblioteques\/bibbarceloneta\/ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>La Fraternitat<\/strong><\/a> in <strong>Barceloneta<\/strong>\u00a0maintains its facade of two hands and a frame forming a triangle. There are memorials to Catalan leaders who were <strong>Freemasons<\/strong>, including\u00a0Llu\u00eds Companys and\u00a0Francesc Ferrer i Gu\u00e0rdia, the ultimate <strong>Freemason<\/strong> symbol as they were people who represented the fraternity publically.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Biblioteca_Publica_Rossend_Arus\"><\/span>Biblioteca Publica Rossend Ar\u00fas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_92481\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92481\" class=\" wp-image-92481\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/library-488677__480-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"285\" height=\"190\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-92481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In <strong>Eixample<\/strong>, the <strong>Freemasons<\/strong> opened their once-private <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/library-card\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">library<\/a><\/strong> of important <strong>Masonic<\/strong> works, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bpa.es\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Biblioteca Publica Rossend Ar\u00fas<\/a><\/strong>, to the public.\u00a0The library includes anarchist collections and rare magazines and literature once banned and now out of print.\u00a0The reading rooms, golden frames, and marble dating back to the 19th century all make for a beautiful site for visitors. Unsurprisingly,<strong> Rossend Ar\u00fas<\/strong> was an important <strong>Freemason<\/strong> in Barcelona&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">artistic<\/a> and political scene in the 1880s and 1890s, hosting events in his house which became an official\u00a0<strong>Masonic Temple<\/strong>. He died leaving a trust fund to build the <strong>Masonic<\/strong> library which opened in 1894, closed during the Franco era, and eventually reopened once more after <strong>Freemasonry<\/strong> was legal again.<\/p>\n<p>Address:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.es\/maps\/place\/Passeig+de+Sant+Joan,+26,+08010+Barcelona\/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x12a4a2e4896beceb:0x4b4b1ebfe1c8d461?sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi8jqbM7-XXAhWIxxQKHeV2CygQ8gEIKDAA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Passeig de Sant Joan, 26, 08010<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/secrets-in-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Things you probably never noticed in Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Freemasonry<\/strong>,\u00a0one of the oldest initiatory fraternities, is based on the belief in a Supreme Being and ideas &#8220;of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by <strong>symbols<\/strong>.&#8221; It&#8217;s not a religion, but their practices are often misunderstood, and conspiracies about them being anti-Christian led to their condemnation by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/barcelonas-most-beautiful-churches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Church<\/a>, the Monarchy, and General Franco. Despite misconceptions about the group, symbols of their presence are can be found in most major cities in the world, including right here in Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Looking for an apartment in the city? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ShBarcelona<\/strong><\/a> can help you find the perfect one.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>*Featured image by Usonian via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"92479\"\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: 125px;\">\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\">4.2<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">4<\/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>Freemasonry, the noted fraternity with its mysterious meanings, was first documented in Spain around 1728. They went through periods of time in which they flourished and others in which they were demonized as heretics. The most noted down period was when General Franco banned them from the country, demolished any existence of Freemasonry, and persecuted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":92488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4472],"tags":[8344,8345,8346],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92479"}],"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\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92479"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111071,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92479\/revisions\/111071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}