Palau Reial Major

Palau Reial Major stands in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, beside Plaça del Rei and surrounded by medieval architecture. Three historic buildings shape the complex: the Saló del Tinell, the Chapel of St Agatha, and the Palau del Lloctinent. Counts of Barcelona and later kings of Aragon once lived here, holding ceremonies and making royal decisions within these walls.

The Saló del Tinell dates from 1359 to 1370 and displays Catalan Gothic arches above eleventh-century vaults. Older Visigothic structures lie beneath them, creating visible layers from Barcelona’s earlier history. The Chapel of St Agatha, built in 1302, rises above the Roman city wall and contains Jaume Huguet’s Gothic altarpiece from 1465. The Palau del Lloctinent followed between 1549 and 1557, and now houses the Archive of the Crown of Aragon.

A small garden beside the buildings includes a fountain and once served as the Inquisition court’s headquarters. A five-storey tower called the Mirador of King Martin separates the Tinell from the Lieutenant’s Palace. Inside, a mural depicting the conquest of Mallorca and the chapel’s polygonal apse preserve two especially striking details.