The state of the hospitaller commandery of Barcelona in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

Abstract

The purpose of the present dissertation is to study the physical, administrative and financial aspects of the Hospitaller commandery of Barcelona during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The manuscripts consulted at the National Library of Malta are mainly written in Catalan. These records consist mainly of the reports of prioral visits and miglioramenti. It was hoped to be able to offer a fuller picture of this commandery, but things turned out differently as not all the relevant manuscripts were in a good condition or that could be fairly easily read. Other relevant documents, like the cabrei, with one exception, are not available. The physical aspect of this commandery is limited to the commander / prioral house, the Hospitaller church in the city of Barcelona and the four members making up the commandery, situated in different areas of the region of Catalonia. The administrative aspect is underscored throughout the chapters - highlighting the Hospital's feudal practices. The Hospital in Barcelona used the local Barcelonese currency, consisting of lliuras, sous and diners of which unfortunately no equivalences could be found. I wish I could travel to Barcelona where it is probably possible to find other relevant Hospitaller documentary material. This was practically impossible owing to lack of funds and my teaching commitments.