A manor built to help Premià de Mar's needy residents

The Casal del Germà Miquel, located in Premiá de Mar, a town in Catalonia’s Maresme district, sits at the corner of two streets. Built around 1830, it is situated next to the rectoria, its gothic-arched doorway and windows emulating the architectural style of its neighbor. Just around the corner, a different style and purpose dominate. The Casal follows the rhythm of the tiny houses that line the street, a right angle being as common in its architecture as the balcony is rare.

The walls are cut from stone, violet paint covering only the sections that were used back then. The Casal is not just an ordinary manor. Its original purpose was 'for serving the needy members of the population', as Catalonia’s inventory of architectural heritage explains. The manor was associated with the rectoria, the official house of the local priest, hence its construction with a religious motif. Today, its use is uncertain, but it remains a symbol of urban charity in a town that still serves its people.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons