Casa Fajol - Casa de la Papallona
A building crowned by a Modernista butterfly
Between Joan Miró Park and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes there is a Modernista house crowned by a butterfly in the trencadís broken tile mosaic style. It is Casa Fajol, also known as Casa de la Papallona or butterfly house, a building that captures the attention of anyone who raises their eyes to its top floor.
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Why visit Casa de la Papallona?
Next to Plaça d’Espanya and Joan Miró Park, at Carrer de Llança, 20, there is a building built from 1911 to 1929 by the architect Josep Graner Prat that has a surprising feature. It is Casa Fajol.
At the top of the facade there is a colourful, semicircular trencadís motif in the form of a butterfly, which has led to the building being known as Casa de la Papallona (butterfly house). In the past the butterfly could be seen from Joan Miró Park and from Plaça d’Espanya, but the transformation of the old Las Arenas bullring into a shopping centre included the addition of an annex that means it can only be seen from its own street, Carrer de Llança.
Casa de la Papallona is a good example of the popular form of Modernisme, which is still visible in a number of detached houses in the Gràcia, Sants, Poble-sec and Eixample districts. In fact, even though the Modernista movement is known for its monumental architecture, it was actually a very wide reaching current that reached all social strata and permeated all artistic manifestations.
How do you get to Casa de la Papallona?
From the Plaça d’Espanya stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic you can get to Casa de la Papallona by turning down Carrer de Llança at the Les Arenas shopping centre.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? In the town of Granollers, near Barcelona, there is another Casa de la Papallona, which is very similar to the one on Carrer de Llança, although the Granollers butterfly is more stylised and is made of stone rather than trencadís.
- Local’s tip: Casa Fajol is an example of Modernisme’s presence in many places around the city. When you take a stroll through the city, look up and you may discover curiosities like this one!
