Getaways

Every 23rd of April, Catalonia fills with roses and books to celebrate the day of Sant Jordi, a very special tradition dedicated to culture and love. Over the centuries, we’ve heard about the knight, the rose and the book, but we mustn’t forget that this story has another great protagonist: the dragon. These mythical creatures are a cultural symbol of Catalan identity and are hidden in many corners of Barcelona. We invite you to walk the city streets to discover these beasts in buildings and unique spaces, a way to find out about the legend of Sant Jordi, but this time from the perspective of the dragon.
 
Our first stop is the Palau de la Generalitat. Here, Sant Jordi is represented throughout the whole building: in the chapel, on an altarpiece, on the cross of the door, in the hall… In fact, on the façade of Calle del Bisbe, there’s the oldest representation of the knight fighting the dragon by Pere Joan in 1418.
 
Antoni Gaudí also took the iconography of the dragon to another level in many of his designs. The “trencadís” and ceramic tiling make his dragons the most spectacular specimens. Did you know that the structure of Casa Batlló is based on the myth of Sant Jordi killing the dragon? The wavy pieces on the roof represent the scales on the creature’s back. And we can’t forget the emblematic “trencadís” dragon from the fountain at the entrance to Park Güell, which has become a symbol of the city.
 
Sant Jordi is also represented in two of the most important works by Puig i Cadafalch. On the one hand, we find the entrance door to Casa Amatller decorated with a sculpture of Sant Jordi killing the dragon by Eusebi Arnau. On the other, the glazed ceramic mosaic of Sant Jordi stepping on the dragon in Casa Terrades, or Casa de les Punxes, by Enric Monserdà i Vidal. In Plaza de las Beates, in the Sant Pere i Santa Caterina neighbourhood, throughout the year, you can take in the city’s bestiary, where the dragon of Ciutat Vella really stands out. Right in the middle of the Rambla, Casa Bruno Cuadros also features a Japanese-style dragon on its facade. And in the Espanya Industrial park, there’s a giant slide shaped like a dragon. As well as these spaces, Barcelona is full of small details made from wrought iron and other artisan techniques that hide dragons. Some examples are the streetlamps by Gaudí in Plaza Reial, the door of the Pavellons Güell or the sign at the entrance to the Quatre Gats restaurant.