La Ribera Quarter Field
Study
1. Make a list of five streets dedicated to
craftsmanship or trades and describe them. What were “Els Gremis” (guilds)?
1) The Carrer de Corders was a street made up
of rope makers.
2) The Carrer de Semolers was a street of wheat
makers.
3) The Carrer dels Contoners was a street of
cotton makers
4) The Carrer dels Mirallers was a street of
mirror manufacturers.
5) The Carrer de les Canadles was a street of
candle manufactures.
“Els Gremis” translates to guilds in English. Streets were named after the profession that
was housed there. Almost everyone was involved
in guilds. Children inherited the job of
their father after training for several years and passing a mandatory exam.
2. “La casa-taller” (The house-workshop) was
the typical craftsmanship family house. The same place to live and work.
Describe how spaces were organized in a “Casa-taller”.
The workers of the guild tended to live
right above their workshop, a building of a couple floors. The workshop
was at street level. Large windows allowed people to view right into the
workshop. The door to the apartments was next to the workshops. The
principal floor was the owner’s. It was the biggest and more
comfortable. The other floors were less comfortable and were reserved for
the workers.
3. Observing the buildings of this area of
Barcelona, mention some of the main architectural aspects that distinguish the
craftsman work buildings to the industrial production ones. For example,
materials, spaces or structures of the buildings and streets.
Different materials were used in the
construction of craftsman buildings versus the standard industrial production
ones. Craftsmen buildings tended to be
stone. Buildings from the industrial
revolution used iron, an easier building material than stone. It also looks quite different from stone so
it is easy to differentiate between older and newer buildings.
4. Find the cultural relation of this five
places cited bellow to Catalan culture. Take on account the different
historical periods in each case.
Santa María del Mar
The Santa Maria Del Mar is a Catalan church that took roughly 45 years
to build. It is a great example of Catalan Gothic architecture,
a style unusual in large buildings like this church. This church was built in
the middle ages by the very people that worshiped in it. It was
built during the height of maritime and mercantile preeminence. Located in the
Ribera district, the church was consecrated in August 1384. The interior of the church gives an
impression of light and spaciousness. Interior
is almost devoid of imagery found in most other churches.
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El Mercat del Born
El Mercat del Born is significant to
Catalan culture because it is one of the first buildings that was built with
iron instead of stone thus demonstrating Barcelona’s shift to the industrial
age. Located in the Ribiera district, it
is the largest covered square in all of Europe and marked the start of
modernism in Catalan architecture.
El Fossà de les Moreres
El Fossa de les Moreres is a memorial built over a cemetery commemorating those
who died during the Siege of Barcelona of 1714. There is an eternal flame
representing those who died fighting for Barcelona. The memorial is built over the original
cemetery of those who died.
La Ciutadella Park (The Fortress of Philip V
by 1714)
La Ciutadella Park was for many years the only green area in the city.
The fortress of Philip V was a castle to keep control of the city and to quell
rebellions form the Catalans. It was torn down because Catalans hated it in
1841. A big tourist destination, the main attraction for years has been the
zoo. There is a lake in the park and a museum
of zoology and geology.
5. After September 11th 1714 the
decrees of Nova Planta were proclaimed in Catalonia by Philip V. Mention the
main changes in Catalan society doing a little research after the Field study.
The decrees of Nueva Planta, banned almost everything in the crown of
Aragon including everything Catalan. All cultural, politics, language,
and Catalan traditions were banned by King Phillip V. Castilian
traditions replaced everything Catalan, with central direction coming from the
king thereby creating a single cultured nationalized country. The decrees
signed between 1707 and 1716 by Phillip 5, effectively created a Spanish
identity that did not distinguish between Castilian and Aragonese anymore.
6. What is El Consolat de Mar?
El Consolat de Mar (meaning the Consulate of the Sea in English) was a
judicial body that was from Aragon and later spread to the Mediterranean area
to enforce maritime and commercial law. This Catalan term now refers to
commercial arbitration and trade-promotion offices owned by Barcelona.