Casa Lleó i Morera

The Casa Lleó i Morera can be found on one of Barcelona’s most famous streets, the Passeig de Gràcia, specifically in the area known as the ‘Manzana de la discordia’ (‘the Block of Discord’). It’s known as such because of the presence of the Modernist buildings within the block (the Casa Amatller, Casa Batlló and the Casa Lleó i Morera itself), the striking forms of which all broke with the more conservative aesthetics of the time, thus causing quite a stir and it was even rejected by much of Barcelona’s society at the beginning of the 20th century.

Highlights

Just like with other modernist buildings in Barcelona, the Casa Lleó i Morera is the product of a major, if not complete, reformation of a building that already existed. Francesca Morera assigned this reform to Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the architect of other great works such as the Palau de la Música Catalana.

Many specialists of the time worked on the interior and exterior of the Casa Lleó i Morera, and thanks to the work of such a dedicated team the final result of the reformation was spectacular. Amongst the team were the carpenter Gaspar Homar, the sculptors Eusebi Arnau i Mascort and Alfons Juyol, the mosaic artists Mario Maragliano and Lluís Brú i Salelles, the painter and glass expert Antoni Rigalt i Blanch and the ceramicist Antoni Serra i Fiter.

Visiting the Casa Lleó i Morera

The first floor of the Casa Lleó i Morera was the site of a famous clothing chain for several years, until in 2014 when guided tours of the building started, after some improvements to its accessibility. Organised by the Cases Singulars (‘Unique Houses’) organisation, these tours are the only way in which to visit the inside of the building.

Tickets

You will need to buy your tickets for the guided tour, which lasts around 55 minutes, in advance whether online or in the tourist information point within the Palau de la Virreina. It’s crucial to bear in mind that it’s not possible to buy tickets in the Casa Lleó i Morera itself.

Timetable of the guided tours

From Tuesday to Sunday

In Spanish: 17:00.
In Catalan: 12:00 and 18:00.
In English: 11:00.

* There are no guided tours on Mondays.

Prices

€ General admission: €15.
€ Concessions: €13.50 for under-25s, senior citizens over the age of 65 and disabled visitors.
€ Free of charge: children under the age of 12 (1 child per paying adult).
Groups: you can request information for group visits by emailing in advance: info@casalleomorera.com.

The tour, which is divided into two parts, is offered in various languages and lasts around 55 minutes. In the first part, which lasts around 15 minutes, an explanation of the history of the family and the house is given, which is accompanied by the showing of a series of slides. The second part is the actual guided tour of the first floor of the house.

Areas that you can visit

During the tour through the various areas and rooms within the house we recommend really paying attention to every small detail of the inside and outside of the building, of which there are many, taking the form of mosaics, stained glass windows, coffered ceilings, sculptures and various ceramics.

The Guest Room
This is the rooms in which the Lleó i Morera family welcomed their guests, who would have been taken aback by the magnificent woodwork in the room and by the wonderful views of the Passeig de Gràcia that its glass window offers.

The kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms
The original furniture from the time is no longer present in these rooms, so the original decorative elements that you should focus on are the mosaics and ceramics on the floor and the ceiling.

The dining room
This is without doubt the most impressive room on the first floor, mainly due to the magnificent modernist stained glass window. Designed by Antoni Rigalt i Blanch, it’s huge, and represents the different stages of the Tree of Life.

The courtyard
Just by going out onto the courtyard you can see a fantastic silk-screen print that takes up the whole of the end wall, and which depicts a Mulberry Tree (el Arbol de la Morera), in reference to one of the family’s surnames. The small green outbuilding was the original laundry of the house.

The façade
The tour ends on the street, where the general architectural principles of the façade are explained, as are the most specific and purely decorative elements. This explanation is very helpful in order to better understand and interpret the symbolism of each of its details.

Photo Gallery

Map

View larger Map