Saint Felipe Neri

The bloody civil war fought between 1936 and 1939 in Spain left thousands on innocent victims. One of this war’s worst episodes happened on January 30, 1938. The Italian Legionary Aviation, which was an ally of Francisco Franco, attacked Barcelona’s main areas. They used a lethal technique addressed to optimize the number of deaths. It consisted on bombing a place, pretending to leave after a short while making civilians believe that the attack was over so they would leave their hiding places and refuges and, when that happened, restarting the attack.

The baroque Church was used as a refuge for people living in the area and students from the school next to the church. During the attack, one of the bombs exploded just next to the church, killing 42 people, most of them children.

A plaque in Plaça records the tragedy and pays tribute to the victims. However, the most striking reminder is on the walls of the church. The wall’s holes are the remains of the shrapnel from the devastating bomb. Today, the children of Escola Sant Felip Neri usually play here during their recess. That’s where that bittersweet feeling comes from, it’s a place full of life but also of death. 

Incidentally it is also of the cutest little square of the old town, it has actually a distinctive cinematographic vibe to it. It is not surprising it's been featured in different movies and music videos.

 
Perfume The Story Of A Murderer 2006; TM & © Dreamworks (2006)

"My Immortal" performed by Evanescence (C) 2004 Wind-Up Records, LLC

 The church was built as an annex to the convent of the "felipons", the followers of the saint, who settled on this site in 1673. The baroque church was built a few years later, in around 1750, and was one of the few examples of this style in Barcelona. The building has a single cross-vaulted nave and rectangular apse, and features side chapels with neoclassical altars and paintings by Joan Llimona. The most remarkable work is Saint Philip Neri celebrating the Holy Mass where Gaudí was the model for Saint Philip Neri's face.