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The Illa de la Discòrdia (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈiʎəðələdisˈkɔɾði.ə] ) or Mansana de la Discòrdia [mənˈsanəðələdisˈkɔɾði.ə] — "Block of Discord"; Spanish : Manzana de la Discordia— is a city block on Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The block is noted for having buildings by four of Barcelona's most important Modernista architects, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Enric Sagnier, in close proximity. As the four architects' styles were very different, the buildings clash with each other and the neighboring buildings. They were all built in the early years of the 20th century.
The block is the southwest side of Passeig de Gràcia, between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d'Aragó.
The name of the block label dates from the turn of the twentieth century, when much of the local press greatly satirized the new architectural styles of Modernisme.
The words "illa" and "mansana" both provide a play on words. "Illa de la discòrdia" is a Catalan expression that corresponds with the English expression "bone of contention," but also literally means "block of discord." Similarly, "mansana de la discòrdia" is a pun that means both "block of discord" and "apple of discord," referring to the golden Apple of Discord in the Judgment of Paris, a Greek myth in which three goddesses participate in a competition to determine which of them is the fairest. Calling the area the "Apple of Discord" thus refers to the presence of the major Modernista architects all competing for the most impressive architecture (and their styles clashing) on the same city block. [1] [2]
When Barcelona was expanding in the 19th century, the Eixample became a highly fashionable district. Wealthy families moved into large properties lining the Passeig de Gràcia, a tree-lined boulevard that served as the area's main thoroughfare and commercial centre. A vogue emerged for refurbishing existing buildings for use as family homes, and many affluent homeowners commissioned prominent architects of the burgeoning Modernista movement to remodel their homes in an often conspicuously opulent style. [3]
The first house on the block at 35-43 Passeig de Gràcia to be remodelled in the Modernista style was Casa Amatller. It was originally built in 1875 in a relatively plain style, conforming to the guidelines laid out in Ildefons Cerdà's 1860 building regulations for the expansion of the Eixample district. In 1898, the Amatller Family commissioned the architect Puig i Cadafalch to carry out a complete transformation of the façade, the ground and first floors. Cadafalch created a striking new frontage in a Flemish Gothic style with a high stepped gable, ceramic tiles and sculpted animal figures. In contemporary photographs, Casa Amatller can be seen protruding above an otherwise relatively uniform terrace of houses. [2] [4]
Within a short period, the vogue for Modernista renovations transformed the block from an unremarkable terrace of houses into a showpiece of new architecture. In 1905, the Catalan Modernista Lluís Domènech i Montaner completed his remodelling of the Casa Lleó Morera at the southern end of the block on the corner of Carrer Consell de Cent in a florid, eclectic style with ceramic tiles. Enric Sagnier's 1906 redesign of Casa Mulleras at number 37 was comparatively restrained, adding a sober Neoclassical frontage with a Rococo-style loggia. [5] [6]
The renovations completed in 1906 on the house at number 43 were the most striking; originally built in 1877, the house was bought by textile industrialist Josep Batlló in 1900. Following the fashion for house renovations and keen to commission a design that would be conspicuously different from his neighbours' properties, Batlló appointed the audacious Catalan Modernista architect Antoni Gaudí to carry out the work. Gaudí's redesign drew on Modernisme and Art Nouveau, creating a dramatic facade of flowing, sculpted stonework and a colourful, organic roof in the form of a dragon's arched back. [3]
The last house to undergo remodelling was Casa Torruella at number 37, now known as Casa Bonet. It was altered by Marcel·lí Coquillat in 1915. By this time, Coquillat had abandoned the ideals of the Modernista and had become an adherent of Noucentisme, a movement that reacted against Modernisme, and his renovations of Casa Bonet are in a much more restrained Neo-Baroque style which is overshadowed by more opulent neighbouring properties. [7] [8] [9]
The houses are the Casa Lleó-Morera, at Passeig de Gràcia 35, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner; Casa Mulleras, at Passeig de Gràcia 37, designed by Enric Sagnier; Casa Bonet, at Passeig de Gràcia 39, designed by Marcel·lí Coquillat i Llofriu; Casa Amatller, at Passeig de Gràcia 41, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch; and Casa Batlló, at Passeig de Gràcia 43, designed by Antoni Gaudí. Due to the presence of these famous landmark buildings, the block is a significant tourist attraction in Barcelona.
Casa Batlló is a building in the center of Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by Antoni Gaudí, and is considered one of his masterpieces. A remodel of a previously built house, it was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and has been refurbished several times. Gaudí's assistants Domènec Sugrañes i Gras, Josep Canaleta and Joan Rubió also contributed to the renovation project.
The Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns, constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its population was 262,000 at the last census (2005).
Modernisme, also known as Catalan modernism and Catalan art nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the search of a new entitlement of Catalan culture, one of the most predominant cultures within Spain. Nowadays, it is considered a movement based on the cultural revindication of a Catalan identity. Its main form of expression was Modernista architecture, but it also encompassed many other arts, such as painting and sculpture, and especially the design and the decorative arts, which were particularly important, especially in their role as support to architecture. Modernisme was also a literary movement.
The Apple of Discord was a golden apple dropped by Eris, the goddess of strife, at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis in the Greek myth of the Judgement of Paris. It sparked a vanity-fueled dispute among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War.
The Fundació Antoni Tàpies is a cultural center and museum, located in Carrer d'Aragó, in Barcelona, Catalonia. It is dedicated mainly to the life and works of the painter Antoni Tàpies.
Casa Amatller is a building in the Modernisme style in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, designed by renowned Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Along with Casa Batlló and Casa Lleó-Morera, it makes up the three most important buildings in Barcelona's famous Illa de la Discòrdia, noted for its unique, contrasting modern buildings.
Passeig de Gràcia or Paseo de Gracia is one of the major avenues in Barcelona and one of its most important shopping and business areas, containing several of the city's most celebrated pieces of architecture. It is located in the central part of Eixample, stretching from Plaça Catalunya to Carrer Gran de Gràcia.
Rambla de Catalunya is a major street in the Eixample district of central Barcelona, Spain. It is one of the city's trendiest streets, with many international fashion shops, and is lined with lime trees.
Barcelona'sculture stems from the city's 2000 years of history. Barcelona has historically been a cultural center of reference in the world. To a greater extent than the rest of Catalonia, where Catalonia's native language Catalan is more dominant, Barcelona is a bilingual city: Catalan and Spanish are both official and widely spoken. Since the arrival of democracy, the Catalan culture has experienced a rebirth, both by recovering works from the past and by stimulating the creation of new works. Barcelona is an international hub of highly active and diverse cultural life with theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums, and high-value architectural heritage.
Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia was a Spanish architect.
The Casa Lleó Morera is a building designed by noted modernisme architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, located at Passeig de Gràcia 35 in the Eixample district of Barcelona. In 1902 Francesca Morera assigned Lluís Domènech i Montaner to remodel ancient "casa Rocamora", built in 1864. She died in 1904, and the building was named after her son, Albert Lleó i Morera. The building is located on the corner of Carrer del Consell de Cent, and is one of the three important buildings of Barcelona's Illa de la Discòrdia, and it is the only building of the block awarded Barcelona's town council's Arts Building Annual Award, obtained in 1906. The building lost some of its most representative elements, such as the tempietto on its top and the ground floor and mezzanine's architectural sculpture. The building is also known as the residence of Cuban-Catalan photographer Pau Audouard.
Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas was a Spanish architect and artist who formed part of the Modernista movement.
Elies Rogent i Amat, was a Catalan architect of Spanish nationality.
Casa Trinxet was a building designed by the Catalan Modernisme architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and built during the years 1902–1904, officially considered completed in 1904. It was located at the crossroads of Carrer Balmes and Carrer del Consell de Cent, in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Casa Trinxet was "one of the jewels of Barcelona Modernisme" and one of the buildings of Barcelona's Illa de la Discòrdia, because of competing attitudes among Domènech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Gaudí.
The Palau Baró de Quadras is a small modernista palace located in Barcelona on Avinguda Diagonal, equidistant from La Pedrera and Casa de les Punxes. It was built by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch between 1904 and 1906. In 1976 it was designated as Nacional National Historical Monument of Artistic Interest. Currently houses the main offices of the Institut Ramon Llull.
Casa Mulleras is a house in Barcelona, Spain, located on the Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district. Originally built in 1868, it was remodelled in a Neoclassical style by Enric Sagnier between 1906 and 1911. The house forms part of a row of buildings known as the Illa de la Discòrdia.
Casa Bonet is a house in Barcelona, Spain, located on the Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district. Originally built in 1887, it was remodelled in an eclectic Neo-Baroque style by Marcel·lí Coquillat in 1915. The house forms part of a row of buildings known as the Illa de la Discòrdia.
Marcel·lià Coquillat i Llofriu was a Spanish architect of the Modernisme and Noucentisme movements.
Panot (transl. flagstone) is a type of outdoor cement tile and the associated paving style, both found in Barcelona. Panot tiles are usually small and square, and feature graphic designs pertaining to the neighbourhoods of the city which they pave. The panot tiles designed by Antoni Gaudí are hexagonal.