Plaça de Sant Felip Neri

Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is a small square in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, within the Ciutat Vella district. The Church of Saint Philip Neri gives it its name and dominates the enclosed space. A school stands beside the church, while a house for the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri occupies the opposite side. An octagonal fountain marks the centre as a symbol of life.

Renaissance and Baroque façades surround the square, including buildings transferred stone by stone from elsewhere in Barcelona. The resulting setting combines Gothic stone with several architectural layers. A medieval Jewish cemetery once occupied the site, which later became cathedral burial ground and guild buildings. During the Spanish Civil War, bombing damaged the church and left pockmarks across its walls.

A memorial plaque on the façade and another on the ground explain the marks and honour the victims. The fountain once carried a bronze statue of Saint Severus, stolen soon after installation and never replaced.