Welcome to Casa de l’Ardiaca, now home to Barcelona's Municipal Archive. But this Gothic residence didn’t always store the city’s records. As the name suggests—Ardiaca meaning Archdeacon in Catalan— it was built in the 12th century as the archdeacon’s house, incorporating part of the Roman wall, still visible from the courtyard. In the late 15th century, Archdeacon Lluís Desplà led a major renovation, adding Renaissance touches like the entrance hallway. In the 19th century, new owners completed the cloister-style courtyard, while in 1895, it became the headquarters of the Barcelona Lawyers’ Association, and the famous Modernista letterbox was added. The City Council acquired the building in 1919, and by 1921, it officially became the home of Barcelona’s Historic Archives. Now, let’s take a closer look at that letterbox.