The Many Lives of the Chapel of Mercy

BarcelonaThe subsoil of the Raval neighborhood holds much of Barcelona's past and its urban and social transformation. Construction work on the future CAP Raval Nord primary care center on Montalegre Street has uncovered seven centuries of history preserved less than three meters below the surface. Among the discoveries are two clay kilns, each two meters in diameter, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. A central pillar that supported the structure of the kilns, used for making ceramics and building materials, is still visible. At that time, the Raval was undergoing a significant transition: it went from being an area of ​​orchards, fields, and vineyards, with isolated religious institutions, to also hosting artisanal activity. "The artisans came because there was water available and they extracted clay," explains Jordi Ramos, an archaeologist with the Territorial Services of Culture in Barcelona. The kilns typically had a short lifespan and were eventually abandoned. Above it, houses were built, and later, various buildings and structures of the Casa de la Misericordia (House of Mercy), whose origins date back to 1580. The discovery confirms how this care center underwent successive transformations and changes to adapt to the evolving needs of a constantly growing city. Archaeologists have been excavating the old chapel for a year, in parallel with the construction of the CAP (Primary Care Center). The stones and foundations of the past, along with fragments of stewpots, plates, oil cruets, and decorated tiles, stand in stark contrast to the crane and the immense blocks that will form the foundation of the new primary care center. These are the last glimpses of this buried past that will be seen, because only the ceramics will be preserved from the remains found and sent to the Collections Center of the Barcelona History Museum in the Zona Franca. The structure of the Capella will also be maintained, a space protected as a cultural asset of local interest.This will be clearly visible to CAP users.

A large laundry room in the middle of an enclosed courtyard

The House of Mercy ceased to be a care center more than a century ago. At the beginning of the 20th century, despite all the structural changes, the complex of buildings became too small, and it was impossible to expand in a neighborhood where life was becoming increasingly cramped. Most of the activities carried out there were transferred to other care and hospital centers. With all these transformations, the chapel, which was part of the House of Mercy, ceased to have a religious use. In fact, it was abandoned decades ago and has not been given any new use, except for some temporary exhibitions. Its history, however, has been documented. "So far, we have found five construction phases," explains Daniel Vázquez, technical director of the excavation.

Promoted by the municipal and ecclesiastical authorities, this charitable institution began as a shelter for vulnerable people, but over the years it became in a guardianship center mainly for children and young womenThroughout the centuries, it had to contend with a lack of resources and space. Excavations have revealed two previous incarnations of the chapel: a building from the late 17th century and another that replaced it in the 18th century. Both were part of the convent where the nuns resided, facing Montalegre Street. Despite all the changes, these convent buildings retained a central enclosed courtyard with a water reservoir in the middle. It was first an ornamental fountain and later a washhouse surrounded by stone benches, which, over time, increased in capacity. All of this disappeared at the end of the 19th century when the Chapel of Mercy was built. Where the Pati dels Tarongers (Orange Tree Courtyard) is now located, there was once a vegetable garden and the residents' dormitories, facing Ramelleres Street.