The three facades of this fine building face the Carrer dels Comtes de Barcelona on the cathedral side, the Baixada de Santa Clara, and the Plaça del Rei.
Typical of late Gothic-early Renaissance Catalan design, it was constructed by Antoni Carbonell in 1557, and remains one of the Gothic Quarter's most graceful buildings.
_-_2.jpg/800px-Palau_Reial_Major_(Barcelona)_-_2.jpg)
The heavy stone arches over the entry, the central patio, and the intricately coffered wooden roof over the stairs are all good examples of noble 16th-century architecture.
The door on the stairway is a 1975 Josep Maria Subirachs work portraying scenes from the life of Sant Jordi and the history of Catalonia.
_-_3.jpg/777px-Palau_Reial_Major_(Barcelona)_-_3.jpg)
The Palau del Lloctinent was inhabited by the king's official emissary or viceroy to Barcelona during the 16th and 17th centuries, and now offers an excellent exhibit on the life and times of Jaume I, Catalonia's most important founding father.
The patio occasionally hosts early music concerts, and during the Corpus Christi celebration is one of the main venues for the ou com balla, when an egg "dances" on the fountain amid an elaborate floral display.
Next : la Plaça del Rei (13) the Gothic architectural ensemble that best exemplifies the city’s medieval past.
Previous : the Museu Frederic Marès (11).
