With the splendor of the maritime commerce in the XII century, the area became the core of craftsmen as still can be seen from the name of the streets such as mirror, espadrille, hat, glass makers, swordsmanship … The heart of this neighborhood is the impressive Basilica of Santa María del Mar, the best example of Catalan Gothic style , currently known as “The Cathedral of the Sea” thanks to the best seller book written by Ildefonso Falcones.

Barcelona´s noble and merchant classes, who had made their fortunes at sea, started building their magnificent homes at Montcada street, and it still retains great examples of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque palazzos.

The Picasso Museum takes five medieval palaces in this street and it´s the key for understanding the formative years of Picasso. He levd in Barcelona between 1885 to 1904 when he moved to Paris but he keep his ties with the city and return repeatedly.