Casa de l’Ardiaca is a survivor of nearly a thousand years of Barcelona’s history. Its story begins in the 12th century, built right up against the city’s Roman wall. In the late 1400s, Archdeacon Lluís Desplà transformed it into a stylish Gothic home with Renaissance details. Later, middle-class owners added a cloistered courtyard and made changes inside. In the late 19th century, the Bar Association moved in and hired architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner to give it a bold Modernista update. It was eventually turned into the Historical Archive. After the Civil War cleared nearby buildings, the area opened up—and in the 1990s, the house was fully restored.