Canorny of the Cathedral of Barcelona

In the Visigothic period, the Christian population of Barcelona was divided into two communities, the Arian and the Catholic, the latter having its headquarters in the church of Sants Just i Pastor. Between 717 and 801 the seat of Barcelona was under Muslim occupation and the cathedral was most probably converted into a mosque. In the time of Bishop Frodoí it was restored, both physically and spiritually, and in this sense the bishop put an end to Mozarabic worship and imposed Roman or Carolingian worship. In 877 the relics of Saint Eulalia were solemnly transferred to the cathedral where they are still venerated. The capture of Barcelona by Almanzor in 985 destroyed the building and forced it to be rebuilt.

A privilege granted by Louis the Stammerer in 878, in the time of Bishop Frodoí, restored the canonical status of Barcelona Cathedral. In 944, Count Sunyer helped the community financially to build a new building. The canonry was also restored and endowed in 1009 by bishop Aeci. It was always an Aquisgranese canonry with very relaxed customs; it was not reformed to adopt the Rule of Saint Augustine or that of Saint Rufus, despite the relationship that Oleguer, canon of the Cathedral, after the canonry of Sant Adrià and later abbot of Saint-Ruf of Avignon, had with this canonical current. In 1299, the papal legate reordered the canonry again and established the number of canons at forty. In 1592 it was secularized.

The canons occupied the buildings that are now known as the Cases de la Canonja and Pia Almoina, an institution that was dedicated to feeding the poor, a function that was formerly carried out in the refectory of the canonical community, probably located around the old cloister. Between the cathedral and the Palau de la Generalitat are the Cases dels Canonges, a group of buildings that began to be erected when the canonical community was secularized and began to live in private residences. The neo-Gothic modifications and restorations have altered the ensemble.