The chapel of Sant Llàtzer, which has stood since the 12th century in Plaza Pedró, has suffered considerable, most disturbing graffiti that has remained visible for some time. It is not a signature. Nor is it the typical and barbaric poaching action, transformed into a weapon for the business of those hooligans; They dirty the metal blinds and doors so that they are then commissioned with an “artistic” performance: there is an agreement between these hooligans so that it is respected.
Sant Llàtzer is not an improvised action on the fly to spend as little time as possible and thus not be seen or hunted with the spray in hand. It is, as you can see in the photograph, an already studied performance, adapted to the shapes of the wall and with the aim of obtaining certain desired visual effects. The place corresponds to the back of the chapel: the outside of the apse. It is imprisoned between ancient civil constructions, when these buildings were not respected as heritage wealth.
Nuestro románico is a fundamental period in the birth of Catalan architecture; hence at the beginning of the 20th century the architects Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch will study it and rediscover it above all in the Pyrenees. The chapel of Sant Llàtzer is one of only five Romanesque buildings that Barcelona treasures.
The successful, meticulous and exemplary action that the Servei d'Arquitectura Urbana i Patrimoni undertook in its day, led very closely by its director Marc Aureli Santos, ominously relieved by the Ada Colau-Janet Sanz duo by not meeting arbitrary demands regarding other projects, he finally managed to recover that besieged and engulfed chapel.
That back part of the apse is somewhat blocked from views and can only be seen from Sant Llàtzer street, although it can even go unnoticed by the distracted walker.
In truth, it is a landscape panorama that the Colau City Council tolerated and even liked, especially Gala Pin, councilor of Ciutat Vella, as if trying to “napolize” it. She was seduced by the performance of a guy who pastes his messages written on the walls based on a letter on each empty can, always next to the tombstone with the name of the street, a most admired point.
But on the façade of Sant Llàtzer and next to the main door, which opens onto Plaza Pedró, an error that requires correction has also hurt for many years. An electrical service company nailed two informative technical plaques to none other than the Romanesque ashlars. It unnecessarily stains the noble complex restored with care. It will be enough to move them to the other side, where there was no choice but to erect a fragment of the current façade. It's that simple: you just need will, good will. We will be waiting.
