In the thirteenth century, a building was constructed in the middle of the city of Girona's Jewish Quarter that would adopt different architectural styles and uses over the years, as well as a wide range of different people and stories. Thus, it has become a kind of mosaic which blends the hallmarks from each period. It is currently the Hostel. Residència Cerverí of Girona.
History
What is known as the ‘modern’ kabbalah was founded in the twelfth century in the lands of Catalonia and Provence under the sovereignty of the Counts of Barcelona.
Within this context, Isaac the Blind was the first pure kabbalist in the thirteenth century, and his teachings spread throughout the entire Western world. Isaac had a house built for himself at number 9 Carrer dels Ciutadans This was unquestionably the most important house in the city because the road from Barcelona to Girona went by it and wealthy Girona families had their main properties there.
Many centuries later, in 1953, as part of the activities to revive the city's artistic heritage and promote Catalan culture in all its facets, Josep Tarrés1 promoted the renovation of Isaac the Blind's former house to host students and artists from around the world. In fact, once it had become the International Residence of Girona, this thirteenth-century building once again placed Girona on Europe's cultural map, and it regained part of the splendour that had been eclipsed by the cultural influence of other cities.2 However, years later, the residence closed its doors and the building was once again abandoned. Finally, in 1986, the Girona City Council decided to design the future Cerverí hostel of Girona. Under the oversight of the architect Jordi Bosch i Genover, the property was fully renovated to revive its old purpose as a residence, in addition to expanding its use as a hostel.
1. Born in Girona in 1929. Actor, scriptwriter and film director, writer and contributor to the Diari de Girona.
2. In the novel Albany Park, the writer Patricia Chaplin talks about the International Residence of Girona and its guests.
Architecture
The hostel is part of an architectural complex on Carrer dels Ciutadans and was a typical structure from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, with load-bearing walls running perpendicular to the facade. The walls and ceiling were made built wooden main beams and rafters.
The original building, which was owned by Isaac the Blind, consisted of three independent constructions. As its uses and owners changed over time, the building’s architectural style was also altered. Therefore, it is a blend of different styles from each period, like the Gothic windows and the Modernist entrance and inner courtyard.
In 1953, Josep Tarrés had the façade on Carrer Ferreries Velles remodelled in the Modernist style. Because of these successive adaptations, the interior spaces ended up laid out haphazardly, were highly compartmentalised and had lots of level changes on the same floor.
The façades on the first and second floor were the finest, with running balconies and Gothic windows, while the openings of the others were changed.
The architectural changes and adaptations designed by Bosch were commissioned in 1990, the year the youth hostel was created. The decision was taken to gut the interior in order to rebuild it from scratch and thus adapt it to the needs of a hostel.
The internal layout is arranged around an inner courtyard which adds to the lighting and ventilation needed in the staircases and hallways. The inner courtyard has become the space around which the entire building is arranged, given that it connects the different floors. However, the most visible aspect of this remodelling is the addition of a new floor -in addition to the ones that existed until then- and the use of the attic as a services zone. The Modernist facade on Carrer Ferreries Velles was eliminated and the one on Carrer dels Ciutadans was renovated to revive its civil Gothic style.