The palace

The Archives of the Crown of Aragon contain documents of the Counts of Barcelona and the Kings of Aragon dating from the 9th to the 18th century as well as other documents from various civil and ecclesiastic bodies. The Archive was set up by King James the Second in 1318 in the premicies of the Royal Palace, situated in Plaza del Rey. The Palace of the Lieutenant Governor or Viceroy was constructed in 1550 as tge official redidence of the Viceroy in Barcelona. At a later date it was taken over by the Convent of Santa Clara. Since 1853 the building has housed the Archives of the Crown of Aragon. Part of the collection is stored in a modern building in C/ Almogàvers 77. The Palace of the Viceroy has recently been restored (June, 2006).

The Tower or Watchtower of King martin was built on to the Palace of the Lieutenant Governor or Viceroy in the middle of the 16th century. King Philip the Second declared that the “new watchtower is and will remain part of the new palace” thereby rejecting the claims to ownership of the watchtower made by the functionaries who worked in the adjacent Royal Palace. The tower has five floors and each level is open to the elements, i.e. there are no windows. Some graffiti dating from the 16th century have been preserved.

The Palace of the Viceroy and the watchtower have been the headquarters of the Archives of the Crown of Aragon since 1853.Salto de línea