Plaça de Sant Jaume

Plaça de Sant Jaume

Introduction Plaça de Sant Jaume is the birthplace of Barcelona and remains the city’s political heart to this day. The Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Hall) stand opposite each other on the square.

The city of Barcelona was founded during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. Following the typical Roman approach to urban planning, a small hill—Mont Tàber in Barcelona—was chosen as the site. A rectangular area was then demarcated on the hill, with a cross drawn in the center of this rectangle. From the cross extended two main streets: one longer and one shorter—namely, the Decumanus Maximus and the Cardo Maximus. The central plaza at the intersection of these streets became what is now known as Plaça de Sant Jaume.

Barcelona, Spain