Here on your left is a wide paved plaza fronting a large, flat-faced brick building with a grand double wooden door, shaded by leafy green trees growing directly out of the stone. This is Carmen Square. We just wandered over from the Carme Centre, which actually ties directly into the story of this space.
For centuries, this plaza has been the beating heart of the neighborhood. It has almost always been called Carmen Square, save for four fleeting years in the 1840s when it was briefly rebranded Museum Square after the local convent was temporarily turned into a public art gallery.
That imposing brick building in front of you is the Palace of Pineda. It was built starting in 1728 for Francisco Salvador Pineda. He was the Intendant... essentially the king's supreme financial and military administrator for the entire region. Power radiated from those very doors. Over the years, the building has been a school, a convent, and even sat completely abandoned before being beautifully restored.
But the most intense chapter of this square's life happened entirely out of sight. During the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the ground right beneath your feet was hollowed out. A massive subterranean air raid shelter was constructed down there, packed with terrified locals seeking refuge from the bombs falling from above.
Today, thankfully, the heaviest things falling here are leaves from the trees onto the statue of the Renaissance painter Joan de Joanes in the center. It is a quiet survivor of a loud history. Enjoy the peace of the square before we take a short walk over to the Angels Tower.
