The rehabilitation works of a building in the Ciutat Vella district in Barcelona have brought to light the remains of an old 19th century chocolate factory that has remained hidden underground for a long time. The archaeological remains have also made it possible to document the existence in the same place of a 14th century Gothic palace and a 17th century shop.
The intervention has recovered elements from the chocolate workshop such as lead plates for making labels and seven large pliers that could be from the commercial establishment.
The discovery was made during the rehabilitation works of a four-story building in Plaza de la Lana, near the Santa Caterina market and Montcada and Princesa streets, which will be used as apartments with care support.
The works on the property at Plaza de la Llana, 23, have made it possible to document archaeological remains from different periods, starting from a medieval mansion from the 14th century and the subsequent remodeling, which includes an enclosure with some commercial use from the 17th century and the factory. chocolate from the 19th century. The property is classified as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest.
The vertical archeology work carried out to date has allowed us to document walls with arches and doors attributable to a 14th century Gothic mansion that, according to documentary resources, would have been property of the Pia Almoina.
During the 15th century, the mansion would have been converted into a hostel, the Hostal de Sant Pere, which would have stopped operating during the 16th century, when the then owner, Pere Joan Grimosachs, carried out a major renovation.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the old palace was divided into three different properties, one of which corresponds to the current building at 23 Plaza de la Llana. From this period, a set of seven ceramic pliers has been documented that make to think that the space could have some type of commerce. In order to determine their content, bioarchaeological analyzes will be carried out on the remains of these large containers, which could possibly be from the 17th century or even earlier.
In 1825, Josep Serra, the owner of the property at that time, requested permission to carry out improvement works. During the 19th century, the space was occupied by a workshop where chocolate was made. In fact, in the Almanac of the Barcelona Universal Exhibition of 1888, the factory referenced at the address of Plaza de la Llana, 23, appears as Guardia (Clemente). Chocolates and pastillage.
The Clemente Guardia chocolate factory was one of the most celebrated in the city throughout the 19th century. Its foundation, as attested by the advertisements that the businessman published in La Vanguardia in 1893, dates back to no less than 1824. The company sent its products to any point in Spain and even to the Spanish overseas territories and, as the advertising of the time attests, among its sweet specialties were “particular grinds” and vanilla and stone chocolates.
The archaeological intervention has allowed the recovery of elements related to this productive space, such as the lead plates that would have been used to make the chocolate labels where it is specified that in the Clemente Guardia chocolate factory “particular chocolates are made.”
The work continues in the archaeological excavation of the subsoil and, at the same time, the study of the property’s items is carried out in order to continue documenting the different periods and knowing the evolution of the building.
As is the norm, the remains found, once documented, will be moved to the facilities of the Barcelona Institute of Culture in the Free Trade Zone and the possibility of preserving some pieces in situ remains open.
The Barcelona Archeology Service (ICUB) and the Archaeological and Paleontological Heritage service of the Generalitat supervise this archaeological intervention directed by the company Global Geomàtica SL.
