Since 1908, the Palau de Justícia, on Paseo Lluís Companys, has housed the delegation of the Col·legi de Procuradors de Barcelona. One of its rooms accumulates more than five centuries of memory of this corporation. There, a permanent exhibition offers a journey through the history of this body. It is one of those unknown archives scattered around the city that is worth visiting.
The college had its official headquarters in Barcelona Cathedral before moving to the Palau de Justícia. The meetings took place in the old chapter house, today known as the Chapel of Christ of Lepanto. In the cloister, some tombstones are preserved that indicate burials of some of its members.
Although the activity of the attorneys, who are the representatives of their clients before the courts, has been documented since the 13th century, it was not until 1511 that King Ferdinand the Catholic authorized the creation of the current college. Since then, all the documentation generated by this body of law has shaped an archive of great historical importance. A few years ago, it was decided to transfer the bulk of the documentation to the Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat to guarantee its correct conservation. Today, much of it is digitized.
The file includes all the documentation generated by the judicial procedures and their processing. But an important part is all the documents and objects that show the daily life of the attorneys. Thus, for example, you can see the uniform that identified them as members of the militia known as the Coronela, who had the privilege of guarding the access portals of the old city wall.
La Coronela was made up of militarized members of the guilds, brotherhoods and schools for self-defense in Barcelona. Some of the attorneys who were part died in combat during the siege in the War of Succession. In 1714, after the fall of Barcelona, ??this militia was disarmed and abolished.
Today, the school is also in charge of the Sant Iu chapel in the Mercè basilica.
