The official name of La Boqueria is Mercat de Sant Josep because it stands on the site of a convent: its first stone was laid on 19 March 1840. The first document mentioning it dates from 1217, the iron roof is from 1914 and it has 178 stalls. A renovation of more than 12 million euros begins in 2026.
Almost everyone walks through La Boqueria. Few know that its official name is Mercat de Sant Josep, that an ounce of gold lies under its first stone, or that one of its stalls has been in the same spot since 1867. For someone living in Barcelona for a few months, knowing that history changes how you walk through it. And it is worth knowing what is coming: a renovation that aims to give fresh produce its weight back.
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First there was a table for cutting meat
The first document mentioning the market dates from 1217: it refers to a private individual's right to a table for cutting meat. The name comes from the pla de la Boqueria, an open space next to the Santa Eulàlia gate in the second city wall. The municipal channel betevé suggests another clue about the word's origin: the open-air stalls on the Rambla that sold carn de boc, billy-goat meat, a very popular second-grade meat.
In 1470 a pig fair was set up there in December, at the request of farmers from the surrounding area and from the towns of the Baix Llobregat. For centuries that is what it was: open-air stalls at the city gates.
A burned convent and an ounce of gold
The market stands on the site of the convent of Sant Josep, of the Discalced Carmelites, which burned in the 1835 convent burnings. After it was demolished, in 1837 the Rambla traders were provisionally moved there.
The first stone of the current market was laid on 19 March 1840, Saint Joseph's Day, and an ounce of gold and several coins were placed beneath it. Hence its official name, Mercat de Sant Josep. In 1848 a neoclassical arcaded square was built with sixty-eight stalls under canvas awnings, and at Christmas 1871 gas lighting was inaugurated.
The 1913 gate and the 1914 iron
What people photograph from the Rambla today is more modern than it looks. The modernist iron gate dates from 1913, by the architect A. de Falguera, with blue and yellow glass and bases covered in trencadís. The great iron roof, in five identical sections, was built in 1914 by La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima and replaced the provisional roofs of 1874.
The last remodelling was completed in 2001: the walls closing off the Ionic columns of the portico were removed, natural light came in, and the premises under the arcades became part of the market. The three-storey office building houses the market management, the traders' association and a cooking classroom. The whole complex covers 7,138 square metres at La Rambla, 91.
Families behind the counter
The Olives i Conserves Graus stall has been in the same spot since 1867, and betevé shows a photograph of the great-grandmother of Manel and Josep, who run it today, as proof. It is a good reminder that behind many counters there is a family story.
The scale is striking. How many stalls are there? According to 3Cat, La Boqueria has 178 stalls, three times as many as Santa Caterina, which has 60, and it received more than 23 million visitors in 2023. That pressure is exactly what the renovation is trying to balance.
What is going to change
In 2025 more than 90 % of the vendors backed, in a consultation, the renovation of the market and a new internal regulation: each stall will have to offer at least 50 % traditional products and at most 50 % prepared food. According to the newspaper Ara, in August 2026 the measure still had to be approved by the city's full council.
The works, with an investment of more than 12 million euros, begin with a first phase announced for the end of summer 2026: expanding the public toilets, renovating the central fish island and improving lighting in the logistics area. The major works will come from 2027 onwards, and deputy mayor Raquel Gil puts the completion date at 2029. Later on, the roof, which contains asbestos, is due to be replaced. If you are spending a few months here, you will probably see some area under works.
Seeing it with different eyes
Next time you go in, look up: the 1913 gate, the five iron sections from 1914, the Ionic columns of the portico. Look for the stalls with family names and ask. And for shopping, the current opening hours of every municipal market are on the City Council's market page.
Checked
Data checked on 15 October 2026 on the Barcelona City Council's page for the Mercat de Sant Josep - la Boqueria (history, architecture, surface area and address), on betevé (history, name, the Graus stall and the 2001 renovation), on 3Cat (the 2025 consultation, number of stalls and visitors) and in the newspaper Ara (the works timetable as of August 2026). Works dates may shift: confirm them before you go.
Quick questions
Why is La Boqueria called Mercat de Sant Josep?
Because it stands on the site of the convent of Sant Josep, of the Discalced Carmelites, and its first stone was laid on 19 March 1840, Saint Joseph's Day.
What changes with the renovation of La Boqueria?
Each stall will have to offer at least 50 % traditional products. The first phase of works renovates the central fish island and expands the public toilets, and completion is planned for 2029.
How many stalls does La Boqueria have?
According to 3Cat, 178 stalls, three times as many as Santa Caterina.