Plaça Sant Jaume facts for kids
The Plaça de Sant Jaume (which means "Saint James's Square" in English) is a very important square in the heart of Barcelona. It is the main center for government in both the city and the region of Catalonia. This is because two major buildings are located here: the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Hall. These two important buildings face each other across the square.
The square as we see it today was created in the early 1800s. This happened when a new front was built for the City Hall. At the same time, an old church called Sant Jaume was taken down.
History of the Square
The Plaça Sant Jaume stands on a very old spot. It was once the center of the Roman city called Barcino. In Roman times, the city's two main streets crossed right here. These streets were the cardo (today's Llibreteria and Call streets) and the decumanus (today's Bisbe, Ciutat, and Regomir streets).
At this important crossroads, the Romans had their main public area, called the forum. There was also a large Temple of Augustus here. You can still see four columns from this ancient temple on top of Mont Tàber, near Paradís Street.
The square gets its modern name from the old Sant Jaume church. This church had been on this site since the Middle Ages. For a long time, the city council of Barcelona would meet in the porch of this church. Later, the council bought nearby houses to build what would become the City Hall.
The old church was taken down in 1823. This happened when Ferran Street was being built. Removing the church also allowed the square to be rebuilt into the larger space it is today. Before this, the square was much smaller. The church, its cemetery, and other buildings took up most of the space.
Over time, the Plaça Sant Jaume has also been called "Constitution Square." This name appeared on a plaque on the City Hall building for some periods of history. The plaque was removed in 2013.
See also
- Street names in Barcelona
- Urban planning of Barcelona
