La Diada: Catalunya’s National Day

Each year, the September 11th festivities celebrate Barcelona’s stubbornly independent spirit, bringing a sea of senyera flags to the city’s streets and acting as a potent reminder of its power to reinvent itself. Catalunya’s national day, known as la Diada, commemorates a bloody defeat at the hands of Philip V during the Spanish War of Succession; a defeat which would signal an end to Catalunya’s status as a principality. Over 300 years later, the consequences of l’onze de setembre are still felt, as a resurgent and confident Catalunya continues to debate its relationship with the rest of Spain. To prepare you for this year’s event in Barcelona, here’s our guide to September 11th; what it means, where it took place, who made it happen, and why it still matters.

History

Background to L’Onze de Setembre

When the heir-less Charles II lay on his deathbed in Madrid in 1700, he had two potential successors. One was his French Bourbon nephew, Philip of Anjou, a spoiled libertine who, according to one of his grandfather Louis XIV’s courtiers, "might have been cruel, if he were not so apathetic and engrossed in his obesity and obscurity." The other was his Austrian step-nephew, the pious Archduke Charles von Hapsburg; a man with an exceptionally poor attendance record at important battles.

When the ailing Spanish regent plumped for Philip (the favored choice of the Castilian court), there was resistance to the idea in the Principality of Catalunya. Catalan rebels, suspicious of the idea of a French monarch, preferred Charles, and were seduced into an alliance with the English, who saw a growing French-Spanish Bourbon Empire as a threat to their own military aspirations. The resulting conflict, which saw other European nations scrambling to join Charles’s side, would come to be known as the Spanish War of Succession (1701-1714).

At first, the war went well for Catalunya and her new Anglo-Austrian allies. Barcelona was liberated from Bourbon rule in 1705 and a series of important victories led the allies into Madrid in 1710. There, however, they could not impose Charles on the Castilian Court. By 1711, the allies had been forced into a humiliating retreat back to Catalunya. 

That same year, the Archduke returned to Vienna to succeed his brother on the Austrian throne. Alarmed by this new development, the English jumped ship on the alliance, signing a lucrative peace treaty with Louis XIV, which would leave Philip free to seize the Spanish throne, on the condition that he would never unite the kingdoms of France and Spain. Catalunya, deserted by both Charles and her allies, was left alone to face the full wrath of a vengeful Philip. The final, bloody showdown was centered on the capital, Barcelona.

The Siege of Barcelona

In 1713, the city consisted of what we know today as Ciutat Vella, with a population of around 30,000 crammed within its formidable, fortified walls. In July of that year, 40,000 Spanish and French troops descended upon the plain of Barcelona. Despite having just 10,000 men to protect the city, Barcelona’s diputats (members of parliament) voted against surrender, still hoping in vain for a change of heart from their former allies. Over the next 414 days, the resolve of the city’s starving inhabitants would be pushed to the limit in the face of the Bourbon bombardment. 

On September 11th, 1714, under the orders of the Duke of Berwick (the illegitimate son of James I of England, then an exiled French General), the Bourbon army finally broke through the city’s walls. Streaming in between the eastern bastions of Sant Pere, Portal Nou and Santa Clara into La Ribera, they met desperate opposition from the near-starving Coronela de Barcelona, the armed forces defending the city. Barcelona’s commander-in-chief, Rafael Casanova—more a politician than a warrior—led a suicidal resistance on what is now Ronda Sant Pere. A statue of Casanova still marks the spot on the corner of Carrer Ali Bey where he fell, injured with a bullet in his thigh, draped in the flag of Santa Eulalia, the city’s patron saint. 

It was a final symbolic act of defiance. After 14 months, the so-called setge de Barcelona (siege) was finally over, with the city in ruins and up to a quarter of its population dead. An outraged Philip went on to revoke the Catalan principality’s privileges, replacing its institutions with Castilian ones, in a stark prequel to the activities of the Franco regime over 200 years later. 

On the Day

Diadas Past and Present

In recent years, fueled by the growing clamor for a referendum on Catalunya’s future, Diada celebrations have become increasingly more spectacular. In 2013, there was the extraordinary Via Catalana (Catalan Way), a 250-mile human chain crossing the length and breadth of Catalunya. The following year, for the 2014 tricentennial, half a million citizens converged on Plaça Glòries, Gran Via and Diagonal in the shape of a giant "V" for "vote" formed from a vast expanse of red and yellow stripes. 

In 2017, the event was all the more significant (and controversial) thanks to the Generalitat’s announcement that, despite firm opposition from the Spanish Government, there would be another unofficial independence referendum held on October 1st. Organized by pro-independence organization the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), the plan involved a giant cross (or "+" sign) that ran the length of Passeig de Gràcia and across Carrer d’Aragó, from Passeig Sant Joan to Carrer de Casanova, with all participants wearing fluorescent yellow t-shirts. The referendum led to tragic physical confrontations and the imprisonment of various leaders of the independence movement, some of whom were jailed for months. The trail took place in June of 2019 and on October 14 of that year the Supreme Court announced the verdict: nine of the twelve accused were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine to 13 years after being found guilty of sedition, and four were also found guilty of misuse of public funds. On June 22, 2021, all nine were pardoned by Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez.

Of course, not all of Barcelona’s citizens are in favor of an independent state, leading some to criticize that the Diada has been hijacked by the separatist movement and its political agenda. But no matter which camp you’re in, the level of logistics and creativity involved in the organization of these mass protests is astonishing.

Open House (Portes Obertes)

For an alternative plan on September 11th, you can visit some of Barcelona’s museums for free and take advantage of the rare opportunity to enter various government buildings. The Palau de la Generalitat and the Ajuntament de Barcelona open their doors, as well as the Catalan Parliament, located in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Other participating organizations include the Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Museu d’Arqueologia, Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), El Palau Güell, Palau Robert and the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya.

Sights of Interest

1. Parc de la Ciutadella

Following his victory in 1714, Philip V erected a huge pentagonal fortress, known as La Ciutadella, in the ashes of the old Ribera district. It was built from the rubble of over 1,200 homes destroyed during and after the siege, with the intention of watching over the city rather than defending it; later it was used as a prison.

It wasn’t until 1869 that the citadel was turned over to the city by Catalan politician and military leader General Joan Prim, in an effort to curry favor with the local bourgeoisie industrial class. His one condition was that the citadel be torn down and the space be converted into a park. The former arsenal, now the location of the Catalan Parliament; the chapel, now the Military Parish Church of Barcelona; the Governor's Palace, now Verdaguer Secondary School, are all that remain of the original citadel’s construction.

2. Mercat del Born

Housed in the old market building, El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria is a remarkable portal into the Ribera district destroyed by Philip V. When the site was excavated during the market’s restoration, archaeologists not only uncovered dozens of buried houses, which can now be visited with a guided tour, but also discovered a priceless trove of artifacts, presently housed in a permanent exhibition in the center's Sala Villarroel. Ranging from porcelain vases and oriental textiles, to cooking implements and legal documents, the artifacts have enabled historians to piece together a remarkably vivid image of how ordinary folk lived in a Barcelona barri in the year 1714. From March to October it's open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-20:00 and from November to February it's open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00-19:00 and Sunday 10:00-20:00. Access to the site is free, although the permanent exhibition in Sala Villarroel costs €4.50; prices vary for guided tours of the archaeological ruins.

3. Fossar de les Moreres 

"Al fossar de les moreres no s'hi enterra cap traïdor; fins perdent nostres banderes serà l'urna de l'honor"

Each year on September 11th, thousands flock to a small square beside the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar in the Born to honor the victims of 1714 at the Fossar de les Moreres (Mullbery Grave).  This historical cemetery became a mass grave during the siege where many of the defenders of the city were buried. Here, there is a sculpture by Carme Fiol inscribed with the words, "In this mulberry grave is buried no traitor; though we lose our flags it will be the urn of honor."

Published September 2017, Updated September 1, 2023.