Sant Antoni, Barcelona
Encyclopedia
Sant Antoni is a neighborhood in the Eixample
district of Barcelona
, Catalonia
(Spain
). Its non-official centre, the marketplace of the same name, designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias
and built between 1872 and 1882, is one of the oldest and most popular in the city, with second-hand book stalls on Sunday mornings. It's bordered by the following neighbourhoods: L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample
(on the other side of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes), Raval (on the other side of Ronda de Sant Antoni) and Poble Sec (on the other side of Avinguda del Paral·lel
). The streets of Sant Antoni follow the grid pattern prevalent in all of Eixample, except for a central thoroughfare, Avinguda de Mistral, built on the site of an important medieval road which lead out of Barcelona. Another well-known landmark of Sant Antoni is the bar called Els Tres Tombs, right next to the market.
onwards: very few houses stood around the market when it was built, and most buildings visible nowadays in Sant Antoni date of the 1920s
and 1930s
, when major urban changes occurred in the city on the occasion of the 1929 International Exposition. A working class area during most of the 20th century, it has undergone important changes in the last decades. As with many other neighbourhoods in central Barcelona, some gentrification has taken place in Sant Antoni since the 1980s
and prostitution
has mostly relocated since. Nowadays it is one of the quietest areas in the city centre, with 37,878 inhabitants in the 2005 census. As of 2009, the Mercat de Sant Antoni is currently being refurbished, and a temporary market site along Ronda de Sant Antoni has been set in the middle of the road. In the meantime, this major road has become pedestrianised.
Eixample
The Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns , constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries....
district of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). Its non-official centre, the marketplace of the same name, designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias
Antoni Rovira i Trias
Antoni Rovira i Trias was a Catalan architect, urban planner and founder of several associations, among them Societat Filomàtica de Barcelona. He's known as the architect of several buildings in Barcelona, among them the markets of Barceloneta , La Concepció , El Born and Sant Antoni...
and built between 1872 and 1882, is one of the oldest and most popular in the city, with second-hand book stalls on Sunday mornings. It's bordered by the following neighbourhoods: L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample
L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample
L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample is a neighborhood in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia . Originally formed a single unit, called Esquerra de l'Eixample, with the current neighborhood la Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample....
(on the other side of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes), Raval (on the other side of Ronda de Sant Antoni) and Poble Sec (on the other side of Avinguda del Paral·lel
Avinguda del Paral·lel
Avinguda del Paral·lel is one of the main streets of the city of Barcelona, dividing Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc districts. It receives this name because it is parallel to the Equator...
). The streets of Sant Antoni follow the grid pattern prevalent in all of Eixample, except for a central thoroughfare, Avinguda de Mistral, built on the site of an important medieval road which lead out of Barcelona. Another well-known landmark of Sant Antoni is the bar called Els Tres Tombs, right next to the market.
History
Although its origins are tied to the (no longer in place) Saint Anthony church of Raval, the urbanisation of the neighbourhood dates from the 1880s1880s
The 1880s was the decade that spanned from January 1, 1880 to December 31, 1889. They occurred at the core period of the Second Industrial Revolution. Most Western countries experienced a large economic boom, due to the mass production of railroads and other more convenient methods of travel...
onwards: very few houses stood around the market when it was built, and most buildings visible nowadays in Sant Antoni date of the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
and 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, when major urban changes occurred in the city on the occasion of the 1929 International Exposition. A working class area during most of the 20th century, it has undergone important changes in the last decades. As with many other neighbourhoods in central Barcelona, some gentrification has taken place in Sant Antoni since the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
has mostly relocated since. Nowadays it is one of the quietest areas in the city centre, with 37,878 inhabitants in the 2005 census. As of 2009, the Mercat de Sant Antoni is currently being refurbished, and a temporary market site along Ronda de Sant Antoni has been set in the middle of the road. In the meantime, this major road has become pedestrianised.
Catholic
- Sant Ferran (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes - Vilamarí)
- Preciossíssima Sang de Nostre Senyor Jesucrist (Viladomat - Floridablanca)
- Maria Auxiliadora i Sant Josep (Sepúlveda - Calàbria)
Jehovah's Witnesses
- Sant Antoni Kingdom Hall (Passatge de Sant Antoni)
Transport
- Barcelona MetroBarcelona MetroThe Barcelona Metro , part of the public transportation system of Barcelona, Catalonia, is an extensive network of electrified railways that run underground in central Barcelona and above ground into the city's suburbs. Since July 31, 2010, Barcelona Metro system consists of 11 lines with 165...
stations Sant AntoniSant Antoni (Barcelona Metro)300px|right|thumbSant Antoni is a station on line 2 of the Barcelona Metro, opened in 1995. It is located in the Sants-Montjuïc district, under the Ronda de Sant Antoni....
(on L2Barcelona Metro line 2Line 2 is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, coloured purple and sometimes simply called línia lila. It's part of the city's ATM fare-integrated transport network...
), UrgellUrgell (Barcelona Metro)Urgell is a station the Barcelona Metro network, named after Carrer del Comte d'Urgell, in the Eixample district of Barcelona. It's located under the part of the street of the same name where it joins Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. It's one of the oldest metro stations in the city, as it's part...
(on L1Barcelona Metro line 1— Line 1, shortened to L1 and known as "Hospital de Bellvitge - Fondo", coloured red and often simply called Línia vermella , is the second oldest metro line in Barcelona, after L3. It is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona . It appeared as a means to join the rail stations the city...
), and Poble SecPoble Sec (Barcelona Metro)Poble Sec is a station of the Barcelona Metro network located in the neighbourhood of the same name, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona. It's served by L3 . It opened in 1975 under the name Parlamento along the other stations of the section Paral·lel-Sants Estació, then known as "IIIB"....
(on L3Barcelona Metro line 3— Line 3, currently known as Zona Universitària - Trinitat Nova, coloured green and often simply referred to as Línia verda , is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, and therefore part of the fare-integrated ATM transport network of the urban region...
).