Guardian angel

Plaça de l’Àngel, a small square off Via Laietana where the entrance to the Jaume I metro station is located, owes its name to a peculiar story surrounding the first patron saint of Barcelona, Santa Eulalia. 

Eulalia was martyred in the year 303 at the age of 13, during the Roman persecution of Christians in Barcelona, and her remains were kept in the Basílica de Santa María del Mar in the Born.

According to legend, on July 10, 1339, the saint’s body was moved to the recently consecrated Barcelona Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia), where she found her final resting place in the crypt. A solemn procession was organised, which was attended by kings, princes, nobles, bishops and clergy. When the procession reached the Portal Major, where Plaça de l’Àngel is now located, it is said that the casket her body was laid in became so heavy it was impossible to lift. The casket bearers could not support the mysterious load and the procession was brought to a halt, with spectators falling to their knees, calling on divine intervention. 

It was at this moment that an angel appeared, signalling with a pointed finger to one of the canons in the crowd. Ashamed and guilty, the canon confessed that he had stolen one of the patron saint’s toes as a relic. On returning the toe to its place in the casket, the heavy load became instantly lighter and the procession continued to the cathedral.

From this moment onwards, the square became known as Plaça de l’Àngel. In 1606, an obelisk was erected in the middle of the plaça and, in 1618, a statue of an angel, sculpted by master silversmith Felip Ros, was placed on top.

During the street battles of the War of Succession (1713-14), the statue suffered considerable damage. Restored in 1747, it was decided, due to increased traffic around the square, to remove the obelisk and relocate the statue of the angel. 

After being relocated several times, the angel was given a permanent home on display in the Museu d’Historia de Barcelona (MUHBA). However, an exact copy was created in 1966, and the finger-pointing angel still presides over the square from an alcove above no. 2 Plaça de l’Àngel to this day.