Plaça del Fossar de les Moreres

Plaça del Fossar de les Moreres is a memorial square in Barcelona’s Born neighbourhood, beside the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. Medieval streets and historic sites surround it within Barcelona’s old city, Ciutat Vella. Red brick covers the ground, while mulberry trees shade the rear of the square.

The square stands over a former cemetery where defenders died during the Siege of Barcelona in 1714. Barcelona fell to Philip V’s troops after more than a year of fighting. Demolished buildings revealed the burial site in 1989, and Alfons Viaplana’s monument followed in 2001. A cauldron above the monument holds an eternal flame.

The flame honours those who died defending the city during the War of the Spanish Succession. A plaque beneath the mulberry trees carries verses from Frederic Soler’s poem El Fossar de les Moreres. On Catalonia’s National Day, people read the poem here as part of the tribute. The square’s red surface and burning flame keep the memory of 1714 visible beneath the basilica.