Under the Archway, Carrer del Bisbe, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

Walking in slow motion under the archway at Casa de los Canónigos in Bisbe Irurita street, if you really concentrate you can manage to stop time for a couple of seconds, while you bathe in the bright light of the sun. You should stay there, spreading your arms in the way only a child can do, stretching your head back up to face the backlit figures, the same sculptures that have witnessed the existence of so many souls. Quiet now, you almost hear them murmuring. They have this melancholic expression and they are whispering: "I am with you my son, please don't worry, people come and people go, you don't need to hurry. Some have left, others will come, but the flame is always burning. The world is cruel, there is pain, the flesh hurts but I am here to save you from your demons, I will sacrifice myself for you. Go and cross this bridge now, you will not remember me, but I will always be with you". And then you'll feel a sudden cold breeze and a little pain on your neck and shoulders of looking up so intensely and you will ask yourself: "What the heck was that?

Please, this is only a fiction, do not block the archway. Wear some protection, looking directly at the sun may hurt your eyes badly. Do not ask passerbyes if they also heard that. They know but they will act normal and pretend nothing happened. 

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Christopher Columbus' Lion

Standing the battering of time this lion at the base of Christopher Columbus's monument in Las Ramblas, permanently guards the majestic column from where his master watches the horizon pointing towards the new world not too sharply. Gaietà Buigas i Monravà was the artist in charge of building the monument that was completed in time for Barcelona's Universal Exhibition in 1888. In coming posts I will show you more details of the column. These are old pìctures of mine: Columbus on his pedestal and Columbus as seen from Las Ramblas.

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Woman and Child Detail, Folk Song Sculpture, Palau, Barcelona

Woman and child, a detail of Miquel Blay sculptoric group on one of the corners of Palau de la Musica Catalana, the art nouveau concert hall. The group is dominated by the figure of Sant Jordi, patron of Catalonia holding a senyera (our flag) and a sword. In the very center there is a young lady singing and surrounded by common people, workers, men, women and children. The title of the sculpture is Cançó Popular (Folk Song), a lyric representation of Catalan popular and cultural tradition.

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Savings Allegory Sculpture, Caixa de Pensions Building, Via Laietana, Barcelona

On April 1st of the year 1917 Caixa de Pensions i d’Estalvis de Barcelona building at Via Laietana, 56-58 was completed by famous Catalan architect and artist Enric Sagnier. Nowadays it is one of the venues of the Supreme Court of Catalonia. On one of the corners you will appreciate this sculptoric group which is an allegory to savings. Remember La Caixa is an important savings bank in Spain. The sculpture was made by Manuel Fuxà. Perhaps you want to see the whole facade of this neomedieval building in Via Laietana or want to investigate further on La Caixa and its founder.

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La Merce or Our Lady of Mercy in Barcelona: A Brief History

What better to commemorate the festivities of Our Lady of Mercy or Mare de Déu de la Mercè or Virgen de la Merced than showing the Virgin itself. This is the way she appears on top of the church that goes by the same name. As you know every September 24th Barcelona honors La Merce with numerous activities all over the city. As you see my post is not up-to-date so I will tiptoe over the topic. I just wanted to say that La Mercè is of course one of the many ways to refer to the Virgin Mary. According to religious scriptures she appeared to Pedro Nolasco in the form of Our Lady of Mercy and commanded him to found the Mercedarian Order. She carried two bags of coins to pay the ransom of Christians caught by the Moors. That's why she is also known as the Lady of Ransom. The order was officially constituted by King James of Aragon in Barcelona on August 10, 1218 and approved by Pope Gregory IX on 17 January 1325. Although the Virgin manifested on August 1st, the date was later changed (1696) to September 24th. Find the church of Mare de Deu de la Merce on my Flickr map.

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Girls Sculpture at Catalonia Square, Barcelona

A sculpture of two girls at Catalonia Square.

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Wisdom: Catalonia Square, Barcelona, Spain

This is one of the statues at Plaça Catalunya (Catalonia Square). Around the center of the square there are different sculptures, each of them with an allegoric name. The one you can see in today's picture is called Sabiduría (Wisdom) and on the pedestal you can easily read the name of the artist: Miguel Oslé 1929.

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Obelisk at the Intersection of Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain

This obelisk you find at the intersection of two main arteries in Barcelona, Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal. Known as the Lápiz (the pencil) it is located on the center of a quite peculiar crossroad that goes by the name of Cinc d'Oros (Five of golds, that is, the golden coins, one of the suits in the Baraja Española or Spanish cards) due to four lamp posts that used to surround the monument. The sculpture represents Franco's victory and dates back from 1940 (I can't believe it is still there considering what it represents!). Well the woman was sculpted by Frederic Marès. It must be said that the original statue (1936), by Josep Viladomat, was dedicated to the Republic, the lady was wearing no robe and instead of being on the present pedestal it was standing on top of the obelisk. Most of all, I enjoyed the combination with the beautiful face in the background, thanks to that the Lápiz looks less boring.

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The Fountain of the Frog - Sculpture Detail, Diagonal Av., Barcelona

This is a detail of what is known as Font de la Granota (fountain of the frog) on the corner of Diagonal Avenue and Corsega street. You don't see it here but the hands belong to a little boy who is lying on top as if by the bank of a river holding a frog or rather squeezing it to make water pour from its mouth. It was sculpted by Josep Campeny i Santamaria (Igualada, 1858 - Barcelona, 1922) in 1912. To have an idea check this low quality image of the fountain.

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