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Are you visiting the Program How Does Barcelona Work? Also called the Besòs or Montcada, it was the conduit that brought water to the city during Roman times. It was built during the first century AD. In the fourth century most urban elites domus have their thermal complex so there would be a regular flow of water. In late antiquity, the baptismal pool and a thermal complex were built on the episcopal complex. Probably in the 9th - 10th century the aqueduct stopped working and the Rec Comtal was begun to be constructed. The outlying walls of the city around the aqueduct are named Vilanova dels Arcs. The catchment point was on the Besòs river, in the area of ​​Montcada. Most likely, the water was not collected from the river but from springs, as in other Roman cities. Surely a tributary would accumulate the water and from there the aqueduct would begin, which was largely underground, to regulate the slope and conserve the water.

The closest documentary information at the beginning of the tour is located on the hill of Sant Joan, in the Torriol de Tapioles, Part of the route can be reconstructed by written documentation. There are remains between the path of Sant Adrià and the one of Horta, another section near the Molí del Clot with the presence of ancient arches near the Coll de la Celada. The closer to Ciutat Vella the more documentation. From the area of ​​Portal Nou, which was where Rec Comtal came in, the Roman aqueduct turns to the east side of Sant Pere de les Puelles, from where it followed approximately Sant Pere higher street, continued near Condal Palace smaller, in the street of the Arcs de Jonqueres, until the present Via Laietana. Driving would continue along Jonqueres and Magdalenes streets. In the square 8 of March the four arches and their pillars besides the channeling are conserved. The aqueduct continued along Capellans Street. There were some arches inside the old house where the College of Architects headquarters was later built and which disappeared with its demolition. From this place it forked into two parallel conduits that enter the city by the side of the wall door and its sections can be observed inside the Casa de l'Ardiaca. It had been interpreted that one aqueduct brought water from Montcada, the other from the Collserola Range. It is currently believed that it came from Montcada only because none had carbonate or pebble concretions, which were common in repairs to pipes that brought water from Collserola. A characteristic feature of the Roman city hydraulic system is the presence of a reservoir for decanting and aerating water, from which several channels could flow from one or more bypass tanks. Although not located, it is believed that Capellans Street had passed and from this depot two arched canals went out, in order to conserve the slope for water to enter the city.
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