GRANITE COLUMNS FROM TROJA TO BARCELONA

The Grandma in el Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona

The Grandma is visiting the downtown of Barcelona. She likes the city a lot and she enjoys spending some time paying attention about old buildings, ancient cathedrals, spectacular streets and unforgettable statues and gargoyles.

She has stopped her walk to look at the façade of the Catalan Goverment, el Palau de la Generalitat, a beautiful Gothic building which hides an incredible treasure: four Trojan columns.

During the second century (122-123 AC), to celebrate the arrival of Adriano Emperor to the city of Tarraco, nowadays Tarragona, four granite columns arrived from Troja to the capital of the Iberian Empire to be stayed in the Forum.
 

One thousand nine hundred years later, these columns are visible in the façade of the Catalan Goverment Building named el Palau de la Generalitat.

More information: Catalan Government 

The Grandma in front of the Trojan columns

The granite columns of the Trojan region, nowadays Tróade in Turkey, were during some centuries some of the most known of the Mediterranean. The rich Romans used them to show their social status and economic power.

When the Roman Empire fell, some of their architectural treasures disappeared or were transported to other parts of the old continent. 

This is the case of these four columns which stayed in Tarragona until 1598 when the architect Pere Blai, who is considered the most important architect of the Renaissance, transported them to be a part of the façade of el Palau de la Generalitat.

Nowadays, some Trojan columns, sisters of these four can be observed in the Archaeologic Avenue in Tarragona. 

When in Rome, live as the Romans do; 

when elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere. 

Saint Ambrose