Fossar de les Moreres, Barcelona, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Fossar de les Moreres is a memorial square in the El Born district of Barcelona, right beside the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. It was laid out over a burial ground where defenders of the city were buried after the siege that ended on 11 September 1714, and it remains one of the most important places of Catalan remembrance.

The story behind it

Because this was the closest cemetery to the fighting, many of those who fell defending Barcelona in 1714 were buried here in a common pit. The siege came at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and its aftermath brought the loss of Catalonia's self-government and, in the following years, restrictions on the public use of Catalan in official documents. That is why the square carries so much weight today. Each year on the Catalan National Day, which marks the fall of the city, people come here to honour the defenders.

The square sits against Santa Maria del Mar, a church built by the people of the Ribera district between 1329 and 1383 and consecrated in 1384. It is a fine example of Catalan Gothic, admired for its unusual unity of style. It was damaged by a fire in 1379 and by an earthquake in the fifteenth century, which destroyed the west rose window, and it burned again at the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Its story inspired Ildefonso Falcones' novel The Cathedral of the Sea.

What to look for

• A red wall with an eternal flame at its foot, the centre of the memorial and the spot where remembrance ceremonies gather.
• The short poem on the wall, which begins "Al fossar de les moreres no s'hi enterra cap traïdor", words attributed to Frederic Soler, repeated on a plaque on the other side of the square.
• The tall, plain Gothic walls of Santa Maria del Mar, whose clean lines come from a church built in a single, relatively quick campaign.
• The rose window in the west front, rebuilt in the Flamboyant style after the earthquake that destroyed the original.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the square itself, and more if you also go into Santa Maria del Mar. Check current opening hours and visiting rules for the church.
• This is a place of mourning as well as a pleasant public square, so keep voices low and be respectful near the flame.
• Early morning is usually the calmest time, and the light on the church walls is lovely. Around the Catalan National Day expect crowds and ceremonies.
• The narrow streets of El Born, including Carrer Montcada and the Passeig del Born, are a short walk away for a coffee or a wander afterwards.

See it on a quest

Rescue in Barcelona brings you to the Fossar de les Moreres on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old city. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in the space in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Poet’s Trail: Secrets of Barcelona suits a square where verses are carved into the wall. You walk between stops, hear the story of each one on the spot and work out a puzzle from what is around you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Secrets & Poetry in Barcelona, Unlock a Hidden Legacy is another way to see the square as part of a wider walk through the streets nearby. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers everyone you play with.