GUIDED TOURS

A Bit of History

King James I established the City Council in 1249, although the institution underwent changes until it acquired its definitive configuration in 1274: the government system was composed of a council of five members or Councillors, one of whom was the Chief Councillor. Below them was the so-called Council of One Hundred, which had around a hundred members or jurors. In this initial stage, the Councillors were prohoms or honorable citizens.

However, in the Consell de Cent, in addition to a majority of honorable citizens, there were also professionals, merchants, and people of various trades (professional brotherhoods). In this whole process, the sovereign had no participation. From 1599 until the abolition of the Council of One Hundred in 1714, the represented trades did not change.  

We propose a visit to the well-known Plaça del Pi, seeing it as an example of the governing Barcelona, the Barcelona that could speak eye to eye with power, the city that would go to the gates to meet the kings because they could not enter without permission. The Barcelona of the Council of One Hundred, the Barcelona of the brotherhoods. In the square, we have three examples from this period:

What We Will Visit

After a brief introduction to the content of the visit and an explanation of the square from this republican perspective, we will go to the headquarters of the Resellers, where we will see the guild hall and they will explain who they have been, what they did, why their brotherhood was useful, who they are now, and what they do.

Afterward, we will head to the Església del Pi, where we will visit the first headquarters of the brotherhood: the entity’s chapel and the sacristy – the meeting place until 1678 – which is covered by the altarpiece by Salvador Gurri, a prime example of Catalan neoclassicism from 1798.

From there, we will move to the church courtyard, where a glass of cava will be offered and there will be an open round of questions.

Conditions

  • Minimum group: 10 people
  • Maximum group: 20 people
  • Duration of the visit: 2.30 hours
  • Price per group: €300
  • Day: to be agreed upon. Preferably Saturdays at 12:00

Only one visit per month will be conducted, which can be requested by   a previously formed group of people or the group that will be formed from those who sign up on the form, in strict order of arrival. A group will not be formed until reaching 10 people.

The individual price for groups formed from the form will be €12 per person. Pre-registration is required using the following form.

REGISTRATION FORM