Lleida information
Palau de la Paeria
The City Hall palace, a civil Romanesque
masterpiece
Palau de la Paeria, the best example of civil Romanesque architecture
in Lleida, is also one of the most emblematic monumental buildings
in Catalunya.
The facade overlooking the River Segre is Neoclassical in style
and in 1929 it was restored adopting a Neomedieval style. The
result is a perfectly balanced construction.
Built at the beginning of the 13th century, it stands on different
historical "layers" that some local technicians and others working
for Universitat de Lleida have unveiled after several excavations.
In 1383, Senyors de Sanaüja, owners and forerunners of the current
building, transferred the palace to the city so that it became
the seat of the municipal government. Nowadays Paeria, known by
Lleida's inhabitants as the home of the "paer en cap", houses
many treasures that reflect the city's identity. The word "paer"
comes from the Latin term "patiarii", which means "man of peace".
This moniker was adopted by the city mayors when in 1264 King
Jaime I granted Lleida's former consuls this privilege.
The City Hall is situated in the heart of Eix Comercial. La Morra
(former 16th-century prison placed in the basement), the city
archive and the inner courtyard are some of its masterpieces.
Altarpiece of Verge dels Paers
This Gothic altarpiece from the 15th century (1451 - 1454) which
decorates the main room -where civil weddings are held- was originally
hung in the altar of the Paeria chapel. This work has, as the
main figure, the Virgin flanked by the archangels Gabriel and
Michael. The Virgin, surrounded by the four "paers", symbolises
her protection over the municipal government.
La Morra
In 1486 the Paeria basement was rebuilt in order to make a prison
with separate rooms for men and women. The room for those criminals
with a death sentence is known as La Morra. The stones that make
up the prison walls show many graffiti which date back to the
16th or 17th centuries. They represent crucifixion and keys as
symbols of religious faith and lack of freedom.
The City Archive and Carta Pobla
The historical memory of the city is preserved in this Archive.
There is a beautiful Baroque wooden wardrobe known as "Armari
dels Privilegis". Another treasure found in the Archive is "Llibre
dels Usatges", which dates back to the 14th century and is decorated
with graceful miniatures. However, the most important historical
document catalogued in the City Archive is certain to be "Carta
Pobla", the first constitution of Lleida's inhabitants, which
dates back to 1150.
History through excavations
The excavations under the plaça Paeria produced artifacts from
the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, although this area is thought not
to have been inhabited yet. The oldest remains are from Ilergetes
times and belong to the foundations of a rectangular construction
from the 3rd century BC. In the 5th century, above the remains
of those foundations and after the previous century's floods,
a first short-lasting construction was built, but it left behind
several bone tools, ceramics and bronzes from that time.
The excavations from 1985 to 1989 resulted in the discovery of
a stepped construction, which is thought to be from the 10th century
and which housed public baths from the "andalusí" times. The dates
are concluded from a document from 1208 (60 years after the Christian
conquest of Lleida) in which Mascarell de Sanaüja bought some
baths in the Pardinal area -name that was given to the place at
the time.
The current building was designed in 1214 by Arnau, a descendant
of the Sanaüja family. The well situated in the inner courtyard
of the building is supposed to be from the 13th century. The transfer
of the building to the municipal government enabled different
uses of the basement; first, it was used as a cellar and between
1486 and 1816, as a dungeon, until its later transfer to Església
de Sant Martí.