Gràcia, origin of a history of its own

Now, of all the festivals that have been and will be these days, the one that has the most media coverage and attracts the most people is that of Vila de Gràcia, one of the Barcelona districts with a deepest self-identity and defended by its neighbors tooth and nail. And that the Vila emerged from nowhere and, as they say, by chance.

It all started when, in 1626, the order of the Discalced Carmelites acquired the so-called Guinardo Tower, to establish a convent for novice monks. For this reason, it immediately became known as the Josepets, referring to the youth of the members of the community. However, the official name was Mare de Déu de Gràcia i Sant Josep, at the request of Joseph Dalmau.

Dalmau had been a member of the Consell de Cent de Barcelona and a judge of the Real Audiencia, but it seems that due to disagreements with the viceroy he ended up withdrawing from politics to go live in the tower he had in Vila de Sarrià, although in reality he was property of his wife, Lucrecia Balcellsdescendant of a rich family. The man wanted to donate the house to the Carmelite order so that they could set up a center for novices there, but she always opposed that idea. However, when Balcells died in 1625, Dalmau lacked time to deliver the property to the religious who, instead of keeping it, preferred to sell it and acquire a space more suitable for their purpose. It was then that they opted for the current Josepets. Next to the convent in 1687 a church was built (the current parish) that would end up giving its name to the entire Vila.

If those monks could see how that whole area has changed since then, they would put their hands on their heads, because a space that was practically empty in the 17th century is now one of the most conflictive points for traffic in Barcelona, ​​and that is because the Josepets preside over the Lesseps square (which, although our readers have never visited it, will surely be familiar to them because of the traffic information).

The establishment of the Carmelites acted as economic booster of that point, located next to the royal road that connected Barcelona (then closed by the walls) with Sant Cugat. Its layout served as the backbone for the urbanization of the main road of the Vila, that is, the street Gran de Graciawhich connects with Passeig de Gràcia.

In the beginning, the growth of the Vila was slow. It was a place chosen by the wealthy families of Cap i Casal to have a tower where to spend seasons and escape from the stale air of the city, oppressed by the walls. Starting in the 19th century, with the industrialization process, an intense transformation began. Being a place with many available land, factories were installed that had no place in Barcelona. And, around these industries, as is logical, small houses and housing blocks proliferated for the workers who, little by little, filled the Vila. In fact, even now in many places of the oldest nucleus of Gràcia you can still recognize vestiges of those modest buildings, which struggle to resist the voracious modern ‘gentrification’.

Initially, all that territory belonged to Sant Gervasi but, as it grew so much, in 1850 achieved independence. Nevertheless, in 1897 the Vila was annexed by Barcelona in its expansion process. That same year other surrounding towns were also incorporated into the city: Sant Andreu de Palomar, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, Sant Martí de Provençals, Sants and Les Corts.

Despite the administrative takeover, the residents of Gràcia did not renounce their connection with the Vila, a feeling that has been passed down from generation to generation, as anyone who goes there for the festival these days will see.

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revolutionary streets

The urban and social transformation of La Gràcia in the 19th century can be appreciated when strolling through its streets and paying attention to the names, which are quite a Declaration of Principles. In the gazetteer there are routes dedicated to liberal heroes of the time, such as Mariana Pineda and values ​​arising from the French Revolutionsuch as fraternity, progress, legality and freedom.