El Mercado de Sant Antoni

HISTORY OF THE SANT ANTONI MARKET

The Sant Antoni Market is one of the most important markets in the city of Barcelona. It is the only market open all seven days of the week. The building and its surroundings host three distinct markets: the fresh food market, the Encants market (for second-hand and miscellaneous goods), and the Sunday book market.

Originally, it was an open-air market located at the southern gate of the walled city of Barcelona, specifically at the Sant Antoni Gate. The location was ideal for trade, as it was a passageway for those entering or leaving the city. With the city’s expansion plans and the demolition of the walls, Ildefons Cerdà proposed the construction of a permanent structure to ensure the market’s continuity and to improve food supply throughout Barcelona, which lacked enough markets within the city walls.

Thus, architect Antoni Rovira i Trias was commissioned to design the Sant Antoni Market facilities. The project, part of the Cerdà Plan, marked the creation of the first market built outside the old city walls. Construction began in 1879 and was completed in September 1882, inaugurated by Barcelona’s mayor at the time, Rius i Taulet. Shortly after, in the early 20th century, textile merchants from the Paral·lel area and sellers of non-food products began to settle around the market, taking advantage of the growing crowds. This was the origin of the Sant Antoni Encants Market.

Today, both markets coexist, complement each other, and contribute to creating a vibrant retail area that is hard to replicate elsewhere. The Sant Antoni Market continues to offer one of the city’s richest and most diverse selections of fresh produce, while the Encants Market provides a wide variety of fashion, textiles, and home goods.

Later, booksellers and collectors joined in on Sundays, giving rise to the Sant Antoni Sunday Market, specializing in new and old books, as well as traditional collectibles such as postcards, stamps, and magazines. Nowadays, it also features items related to trading cards, video games, and movies.

In 2007, renovation works began, and three temporary tents were installed to house each of the markets along Ronda de Sant Antoni and Comte d’Urgell Street. In 2009, the old market building was permanently closed, and a new redevelopment project started — though completion was delayed due to the discovery of archaeological remains, including the Roman Via Augusta, a necropolis, and the remains of the Sant Antoni bastion.