Barcelona in the final third of the 19th century witnessed rapid expansion into the new Eixample district, which was filled with housing and public buildings. In many cases, these new constructions replaced obsolete facilities in the congested Ciutat Vella. The Palace of Justice is one such new facility and was intended to bring together the city’s courts and the Royal Court of Appeal in a new monumental building that would reflect the scale of the modern city. Designed in 1886 by Enric Sagnier and Josep Domènech i Estapà, it was the first major commission for these recently qualified young architects.
The project was accompanied by an extensive report in which they explained their choice of materials and forms: they considered iron to be the representative material of modern civilisation, yet believed that the building’s representational function required the solidity of stone to express the weight of justice. They also felt that society was not yet ready to accept the use of iron structures in monumental buildings. For this reason, they made a bold and innovative decision for the time: to leave the iron visible in the roof over the monumental staircase and in the great hall on the first floor, though suitably decorated.
The complex —conceived to be organised in a rational and practical manner— is structured around two symmetrical wings arranged around courtyards, which house the courtrooms, with the central area containing the entrance and large spaces suitable for major trials or ceremonial activities. Particularly noteworthy is the great hall known as the ‘hall of lost steps’, one end of which is occupied by a large pictorial composition by Josep M. Sert. Other areas of the building were decorated by painters such as Joan Llimona, Fèlix Mestres and Arcadi Mas i Fontdevila, among others.
Externally, the Palace of Justice, one of the city’s first monumental buildings, employs a decorative repertoire that draws on elements from different styles. The sculptures that line the façades, featuring portraits of jurists and allegorical scenes, were also the work of some of the most prominent Catalan sculptors of the period, including the Vallmitjana brothers, Manuel Fuxà, Josep Llimona and Miquel Blay. The ensemble is crowned by a statue of Moses by Agustí Querol.
