'Gypsy chapel' murals uncovered at Barcelona's La Model prison

Barcelona's La Model prison holds many secrets.

Located in the city's Eixample district, it became a symbol of Francoist repression in Catalonia – a place where political opponents were tortured and executed during the Spanish Civil War and the decades-long dictatorship that followed.

Since its closure in 2017, efforts have been made to uncover those secrets and keep the stories of its thousands of prisoners alive.

As part of those efforts, murals in the so-called "Gypsy Chapel"  – a former prison cell – have been uncovered.

Painted in 1950 by the Andalusian Romani artist Helios Gómez – an anarcho-communist activist imprisoned by the Franco regime – they pay tribute to prisoners and their patron saint, Our Lady of Mercy (La Verge de la Mercè in Catalan).

Celebrating Romani identity

Speaking at the unveiling of the murals on Thursday, Gabriel Gómez, the artist's son, said that they speak of "social struggle" and celebrate Romani identity.

 

Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, described the space as one of "memory and dignity," while the Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández, said that the Catalan government will work toward having the murals officially declared a cultural asset of national interest.

The "Gypsy Chapel" is the name given to cell number 1 on the first floor of the fourth gallery – formerly the corridor for prisoners sentenced to death.

All the figures, including the Virgin Mary and Child, are depicted with dark skin, reflecting the Romani ethnicity of Helios Gómez.

The murals were painted in 1950 during Gómez’s final imprisonment, when he was commissioned by the prison chaplain to decorate the cell.

Gómez painted Our Lady of Mercy with prisoners at her feet, surrounded by a group of angels depicted as flamenco musicians.

Uncovering, restoring, conserving 

In 1998, the murals were covered with paint and plaster. In fact, the cell was repainted multiple times, covering the murals with as many as 15 layers of paint in some areas.

Uncovering the original murals has been "much slower work than anticipated," because of the hardness and strong adhesion of the overlying layers, explained Mireia Mestre, director of the restoration center (CRBMC) that oversaw the work.

Now that the layers have been stripped back to reveal the original artworks, the third phase of the process can begin – restoration and conservation.

The works may be open to the public by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

Podcast

Read more about La Model prison here, or listen to the podcast below.