Placa Sant Just (St. Justus Square), Barcelona

On Hèrcules Street, just off to the left side of city hall, you'll find a square and the site of one of Barcelona's oldest Christian churches. This historic church is dedicated to the boy martyrs Justus and Pastor, who, as recounted by the Roman poet Prudentius, bravely opposed the persecutions of Christians led by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. They were eventually captured, whipped, and beheaded near the Spanish city of Alcalá de Henares. Some of the relics associated with these saints have been preserved in a chest and are housed within the 14th-century church. Meanwhile, underneath the square, it is said that Christian catacombs have been discovered.

During the Middle Ages, Saint Justus Square was the only place in Barcelona where Jews and Christians were permitted to engage in legal trade together. A reminder of that era is the 14th-century Gothic fountain, where various commercial transactions and information exchanges took place. This fountain, adorned with three human faces carved in stone beneath a relief of Saint Justus flanked by two shields, is the oldest water source in Barcelona; however, its current appearance was designed in the 19th century.

Adjacent to Bisbe Caçador Street, you will find the impressive entryway and courtyard of the Moixó Palace, which once served as the town house of an influential family. Continuing down the same street, you will come across the Catalan Academy of Arts and Letters.