Palau de la Virreina

One of the most sumptuous buildings on La Rambla, a clear example of Catalan civil architecture. Palace with a ground floor and three floors with two facades, one facing the Rambla and the back facing the Boqueria market. If we look at the main façade we can see a colorful balustrade with twelve vases. Its wide vaulted hall, terraces, patios and twin staircases that give access to the main floor are some of the main details of the building.
The palace was built between 1772 and 1778 by order of Manuel de Amat, Marquis of Comillas and Viceroy of Peru, who upon his arrival from the Americas had it built as a residence, although he enjoyed it for a short time since he died in 1782. The one that If I enjoyed the palace it was his wife María Francesca de Fiveller, from whom the name of the palace “Virreyna” comes, although legend says that the real recipient had to be the beautiful dancer from Lima, Micaela Villegas, better known as La Perrichola and great love of the viceroy.
It currently houses the headquarters of the Department of Culture of the Barcelona City Council and since 2008 it became La Virreina Centro de la imagen, with a great free program and activities related to the world of the image.