Irina Swain Omeka MetsExport Plugin The software used to generate this document is called Omeka MetsExport, which operates as a plugin for Omeka. Documentation can be found at http://github/MetsExport/ Casa de la Ciutat & Salo de Cent Casa de la Ciutat & Salo de Cent Casa de la Ciutat and its famous reception room, Salo de Cent, are located in Barcelona, Spain. Tricia Malcom, Brooke Palmer, Benjamin Fraser Camille Kresz 02/06/2017 English, Spanish Document, Still Image Saló de Cent Robert Hughes, the acclaimed author, is head over heels for Barcelona. In one of his books, Barcelona the Great Enchantress, Hughes wrote about how he decided to have his third wedding in Barcelona at the city’s town hall. As Hughes describes it, the Town Hall—previously acknowledged as the Casa de la Ciutat (‘house of the city’)—is the home to, “its most splendid and history laden ceremonial room, the Saló de Cent” (2004: 1-3,12-14). The Saló de Cent (Hall of the Council of One Hundred), is a room full of vibrant history originally designed by the architect Pere Llobet. The chamber was tragically destroyed during a workers’ uprising in 1842, but was eventually restored by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1880. The room is draped in red and gold silk as a tribute to the Catalan flag (Hughes 2004: 14-14, 17-18). The Saló de Cent was the original assembly room of Barcelona’s government—formed around King Jaume I’s original system of probi homines (peers) that guided his majesty on overseeing the city in the thirteenth century (Hughes 2004: 13-14). As explained by Elorza, this was vastly different than how the government was run in the twentieth century by dictator Francisco Franco, who “sought to eradicate every last trace of cultural difference” (Elorza 1995: 332). Vilarós explains that, “during the height of Franco’s power and censorship Ferrater pronounced Catalan culture dead” (2000: 37). King Jaume’s original committee was comprised of twenty members while the newer committee contained merely seven. Two of the committee’s seven members were the chief magistrate and the mayor. Those two leaders had the power to decide which residents would fill the remaining five spots on the committee. This board was imperative since it was one of the first proto-democratic governments as well as one of the first boards that allowed all affiliates to have equivalent votes (Hughes 2004: 13-14).  Casa de la Ciutat and Saló de Cent City halls can be found in every metropolitan area. In Barcelona, Spain, it is the Casa de la Cuitat. The earliest government actions were conducted within its walls after its creation in the 13th century. The Saló de Cent, or the Hall of the Council of the One Hundred, was a room where a committee of prohoms, or peers to thirteenth century King Jaume I, would manage the city of Barcelona (Hughes 2004; 13). A system to govern Barcelona arose from this arrangement and lasted until the Bourbons of Madrid wiped it out in the 18th century (Hughes 2004: 14). So, just as the President of the United States cannot make major decisions without consulting the Congress, King Jaume I would consult the prohoms before making an official declaration. Throughout time, Barcelona has “historically reinvented itself with ingenuity and dramatic flare” (Kent 2002: 221). In the case of the Casa de la Cuitat, this applies in both an architectural sense and according to the building’s purpose. Located on the Plaça de Sant Jaume, Barcelona’s historical centre, the colors and decorations of the important building resemble the Catalan flag, reflecting the yellow and red stripes. The exterior is crafted with pillars, a trait found among many important government buildings around the world. The original entrance was a gothic façade that reflected the time period in which the building was originally constructed with the coats of arms and gothic stained glass windows (Calas). Today the entrance is a neoclassic façade, which was constructed to reform the Plaça de Sant Jaume (Calas). Part of this construction included the addition of two important figures: one of King Jaume I, and the other of Joan Fiveller, a conseller who became a symbol of strength for his stance on fairness among all social classes (Hughes 2004: 16). The Casa de la Cuitat radiates with historical and cultural importance. Especially when relating to one important room: The Saló de Cent. The Saló de Cent is the most well-known part of the Casa la Cuitat. In fact, it is distinguished as “one of the noblest places in Spain” (Hughes 2004: 17). The famous room was designed by architect Pere Llobet in 1360 and was inaugurated in 1373 (Hughes 2004: 17). Originally recognized as the Saló del Trentenari, this historical room used to house the meetings of the Consell de Cent, a group of Catalan citizens that emerged from King Jaume’s original prohoms system (Calas). A council of one hundred Catalan citizens was created to have representation of all walks of the Barcelonan lifestyle (Hughes 2004: 14). Today, the famous room is used for weddings and special occasions, along with being a very popular Barcelonan tourist attraction (Calas). While it is one of the most popular attractions in Spain, this famous room is not the only feature the Casa de la Cuitat has to offer. Even though they are not as well-known as the Saló de Cent, there are other important areas of the city hall. The building’s courtyard is decorated with sculptures by famous Barcelonan artists, including Antonio Miró, Pablo Gargallo, and Manolo Hugué (Calas). Continuing with the artistry, the city hall has a room of chronicles with paintings along the walls and ceilings, all created by Catalan artist Josep Maria Sert (Calas). One room, the Room of the Regent Queen, was used more purposefully in the 1800s. This room was designed with candelabras and sculptures for Queen Maria Cristiana; its original purpose was to provide a space where she could socialize and drink tea, but today it is used as the plenary room (Calas). All of these spaces, including the Saló de Cent, are available for tourism today. During the 19th century, Spain was going through constant political conflict, and many of these disagreements resulted in violence. The issues mostly surrounded “progressive and reactionary régimes and radical groups advocating for social reforms” (Hall 1997: 128). The Casa de la Cuitat, or more specifically the Saló de Cent, was not excluded from the brutality. In 1842, the political building was bombarded during a workers uprising, and it was not rebuilt until the 1880s by Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Hughes 2004: 17). This would be the last attack the city hall has encountered that required reconstruction. Later on, neo-gothic decor was added, fortunately through a non-violent necessity, in 1914 (Hughes 2004: 17). Today, the Casa de la Cuitat is composed of three total buildings: the original building from the 14th century, the “Nou” or New Building, and the “Novíssim” or Very New Building, which are all interconnected (Historical). The addition of the newer buildings provided the Casa de la Cuitat with more space (Historical). The alterations did not stop there: in 1994 mutual connections were constructed between the three buildings to fulfill the original purpose, which was to, “improve the harmony between the three buildings and the rest of the neighborhood” (Historical). As one of the oldest buildings in all of Barcelona, the Casa de la Cuitat holds a lot of history artistically, culturally, and governmentally. Each room has a story and a purpose that is still being discovered by visitors and natives alike each day.  Item changed by user 26 at 2017-02-06 17:29:32.Updated: TypeItem changed by user 26 at 2017-02-06 17:27:14.Created manually by user