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Work in La Rambla unearths a medieval lock and gate
The remains date back to the 16th century, with digging now continuing as work is being conducted in sections. The Portal de Trentaclaus was located in what is now Plaça del Teatre.
11/07/2024 - 15:36 h
- Culture and leisure
Ajuntament de Barcelona
The archaeological tasks in the project for La Rambla have identified a section of the city wall and a gate beneath Plaça del Teatre, in front of the Teatre Principal
The gate was known at the Portal de Trentaclaus, located in the current C/ Escudellers, which crosses Plaça del Teatre just in in front of the Teatre Principal. The wall was built between the end of the 13th century and the middle of the 14th century, and this section corresponds to the 14th century. The gate was also known as the Portal dels Ollers, as at that time many potters worked in this area, producing earthenware pots and pans.
The remains of the gate were unearthed during the work to improve La Rambla and correspond to the original gate in the city wall in this avenue. Digging continues and new finds have not been ruled out on the side of the avenue nearest the sea and the opposite part (Plaça Catalunya), where a small fragment of wall has also been unearthed.
Barcelona’s medieval walls were rebuilt by order of Pere II El Gran, following a confrontation with French forces. The Consell de Cent took charge of the work (the first major public urban works that it managed), rebuilding the wall and adding new gates to the existing ones of Boqueria, Portaferrissa and Jonqueras, such as the Portal Nou in 1295.
A new conflict, this time with Castilla in 1357, persuaded the Consell de Cent to improve the walls rebuilt in the 13th century and reinforce the old city, except for El Raval. This was a highly complex task which even included moving the riverbed.
