Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-08-03
CITY OF BEAUTY
Barcelona, Hotbed Of Spanish
Instruction, Is Show Place
of Country.
DIVIDED. tHr0 2 SECTIONS
Has Its Old and New Quarters--Is
Nations Nest Important Com
mercial Town.


Barcelona. where the present dis
content of the people throughout Spain
over the continuation of the fighting
against the Moors ut AIellla, in Moroc
co, recently assumed the character OF
civil war. is the capital of the captain
generality of Catalonia as well as the
most important commercial and indus
trial town III Spain. 1t is ON an un-
dulating plain on the shore of the Med
iterranean, in about the same latitude
as Rome. On the southeast rise the
Montjuich hills. crowned by fortified
tons; on the three other sides of the
plain stretches a picturesque mountain;
background. The suburbs are IA series
of cultivated semitropical gardens,
and beyond the plain is dotted with
villages and farms and intersected
with beautiful streams. Don QuiXote
described the city as unique both liz
beauty and situation and even in
modern days, when the smoke of fac
y y
former pieturesqueness. it ranks as
one of the most attractive of Mediter
ranean towns.
Barcelona has population OF
100000. counting the old and new
towns together The houses of the
new town are largely built of hewn
stone. which make an imposing ap-
n.,I In -, lai1
very regularly. The busy life of the
city centers in the Rambla. charm.
ing promenade which unitcs the old
town with the new and along which
are the principal theaters. shops and
cafes and where the pretty flower
girls display their wares under the
shade of the plane trees.
City of Two Parts.
The old city was formerly surround.
ed by line of ramparts defended by
a citadel on the northeast erected by
Philip V, but as these Notifications
restricted the development of the town
they We're abolished by the local au
thorities in 1915 despite the opposition
of the central government. The walls
of the moat were turned into cellars.
and the. ground WAS Laid out i'm gar
/ dens. The city rapidly spread out to
| the northwest. and in 1860 I'm elabo-
rate plan was made for laying out new
districts. Thus The town is divided
| into old and new. the old interesting
for its Irregular, harrow streets and its
| houses. buff In eastern fashion, chief
| w of IIrick.s fourI,te FIVE stories in
height. with nat roofs.
Old HarceIopa forms n .hexagon, on
the southeast side of which lies the
harbor ON the 'highest point of the
town the Monte Taber. stands the
cathedrni. ore of the finest specimens
of Spanish Gothic architecture. IT is
on site once occupied by n Roman
temple and later by.a Moorish mosque
| The building of the cathedral was he
gun in 1908. and the keystone Of The
vaulting WAS laid by Andres EScudel
in HIS. The- scale is not large. but
the arrangement and lighting are Sc
| fine that the impression of great size
is given. TO the right and left of the
northeast doorway are two inscription.
relating TO the building of the church
Magnificent Sunset Effects.
The interior of the cathedral is very
dark. but Impressive. The small win
dovs contain the finest fifteenth cen
| fury stained glass. and the sunset Of
fects upon Them are magnificent. One
of the most interesting of the chapeis
| is that of Santo Cristi de Lepanto
which contains the Christ of Lepan
to-" said TO have been carried by Dor
John of Austria in his flagship at tn,
famous battle OF Oct. 6. 1911. TIL,
Image of the Saviour is said to b,
bending its head to escape a Turkish
1 bullet
A number of interesting building:
are grouped near the cathedral. TIL,
Canonjia (canonry) dates from the IF
teenth century. and on the back wall i:
a mural painting of "The Last Supper
The shoemakers' guild house is an ex
ample of sixteenth century renafs
sance. Not far off stands the palacit
episcopal which dates from 92G
though rebuilt Since then. 1t contain!
its Getaways is partly of Roman work
lmanship.
The City's Mythical Founder.
In the Gale del ,Paradis behind TIN
cathedral are buried three Corinthial
columns fifty feet in height which ar
probably the remains of the portico o
a Roman temple. described by legent
as dedicated to Hercules. the mythica
founder of Barcelona. The genera
archive.. erected for Charles ". is Al
interesting Gothic structure containin;
about 100000 documents, and tn
Provincial museum, too, is worthy o
note. -. -
Barceioha's place in the commercial
history Of Spain is one of pre-emi
hence. In the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries 1t was the rival OF Venic
and Genoa. The merchants of BARGE
Iona could be found trading with al
the Mediterranean ports. with tn
Netherlands and the orient. With tn