Sant Felip Neri square

As you enter this small square, you will feel how the hustle and bustle of the city is left behind. Surrounded by historic buildings and presided over by the baroque church of Sant Felip Neri, this square is a place of great beauty, but also of deep memory.

If you look at the facade of the church, you will notice shrapnel marks on its walls. These scars are the tragic memory of a bombing that occurred on January 30, 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. A bomb dropped by the fascist air force fell here, causing the death of 42 people, most of them children sheltered in the convent.

Despite its painful history, the square is today a haven of peace, with its fountain in the center and the shade of the trees that surround it.

All around you, you will see Renaissance buildings that originally belonged to old guilds of the city and were moved here stone by stone after the Civil War.

The church of Sant Felip Neri was Gaudi’s favorite. He used to come here every day to hear mass. In fact, Gaudi was run over by a streetcar on his way from Sagrada Familia to this church in 1926.

This plaza is where the schoolchildren enjoy their recess time. From Monday to Friday, during recess, the plaza is closed so they can play peacefully. If you find the plaza closed, don’t worry, just turn around and go around to the right to continue on your route. This way, you can keep exploring without missing anything!