Església de Sant Jaume, Gothic Revival and Baroque church in Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain.
Església de Sant Jaume is a church in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona that combines Gothic Revival and Baroque elements within a medieval urban setting. The building has pointed arch doorways, ribbed vaults inside, and a 19th-century facade that stands apart from the older structures around it.
The church was built on the site of a former synagogue that once served Barcelona's medieval Jewish community. A major renovation in the second half of the 19th century gave it the Neo-Gothic appearance it has today.
The church stands just steps from Plaça de Sant Jaume, one of the busiest squares in the old city, yet its interior feels removed from the street noise outside. Locals sometimes stop in for a quiet moment during the day, giving the space a lived-in feel rather than a purely tourist one.
The church is easy to find on foot from most points in the Gothic Quarter, as it sits near the center of the old city. Visiting in the morning or after midday tends to be quieter, since the surrounding streets are busy throughout the day.
The tympanum above the entrance, carved by Josep Santigosa in 1878, features a six-pointed star set in stone, a direct reference to the synagogue that once stood here. It is one of the few visible traces of Jewish heritage still readable on a public facade in the Gothic Quarter.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
