Flanking the Plaça del Rei, this 1550s palace was built as the residence of the Spanish lloctinent (viceroy) of Catalonia and later converted into a convent. From 1853 it housed the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragón, with documents detailing the history of the Crown of Aragón and Catalonia, spanning the 12th to 20th centuries. The building opens through a peaceful courtyard, while an extraordinary 16th-century pine enteixinat (ceiling of interlaced beams with decorative insertions; artesonado in Spanish) sculpted like the upturned hull of a boat sits above the main staircase.
Just off the stairs is the bronze 1975 Porta de Sant Jordi by Josep Maria Subirachs, depicting Sant Jordi and the dragon. Temporary exhibitions, usually related in some way to the archives, are often held here.
