Palau Reial Major Barcelona. The name Palau Reial Major means "Grand Royal Palace" and refers to the buildings on a small square Plaça del Rei in the gothic area of Barcelona. The Palau Reial Major was the residence of the counts of Barcelona and later of the Catalan Kings of the Kingdom of Aragon and later the Crown of Aragon.

After the 16th century, the Palau Reial Major complex was no longer used as royal residence, and it was used by the Spanish Inquisition in Barcelona and the royal administration.

The Palau Reial consists of various structures. Two of them, the Saló del Tinell and St. Agatha Chapel, are considered Catalan gothic architectural masterpieces and can be visited as a part of the Barcelona City History Museum MUHBA.

Saló del Tinell

Royal Audience Hall. Built by King Peter IV (Pere IV) in 1359-1362 in the 14th century under the direction of architect Guillem Carbonell. The Saló del Tinell has gothic rounded arches built over 11th-century vaults which in turn were built over a monumental structure dating back to the Visigoth rule of Spain.

It might have been here that explorer Christopher Colombus was received by the Catholic monarchs of Spain King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1493 after his discovery of the New World. This is however not documented andthe meeting might also have been at a monastery in Badalona just north of Barcelona.

La capella de Santa Àgata de Barcelona

Palatine Chapel of St. Agatha. Built under King James II in 1302. The Chapel of St. Agatha was designed by architect Bertran Riquer to act as royal chapel, replacing a previous chapel.

Palau del Lloctinent

Viceroy's Palace. 16th-century palace built in the Renaissance style by Antoni Carbonell between 1549 and 1557 and intended to be the residence of the king's viceroy in Catalonia, but the building was never used for this.

From 1853 it was used as the headquarters of the Archive of the Crown of Aragon - Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragón, a unique historic archive of documents of the Crown of Aragón and Catalonia from the 12th century to the 20th.

Mirador del Rei Martí

King Martin's watchtower - a five-storey tower built in 1555