Queen Joan Enríquez's coat of arms restored

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

The Museu d'Història de Girona has received a grant from the Office for Support for Cultural Initiatives (OSIC) of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Catalonia for the restoration of Queen Joan Enríquez's coat of arms.

The Office for Support for Cultural Initiatives (OSIC) of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Catalonia has awarded a grant of €1,867.00 to Girona City Council, for the Museu d'Història de Girona, as part of the programme for the conservation and restoration of movable heritage and archaeological and artistic elements integrated into immovable heritage for the 2025-2026 period.

The Museu d'Història de Girona has allocated this grant to finance the project "Conservation and restoration of Queen Joan Enríquez's coat of arms", which aims to restore the coat of arms and implement preventive conservation measures at its current location. The project has a total budget of €7,574.60.

The coat of arms is municipally owned. Girona City Council has classified this asset as an Asset of National Cultural Interest (BCIN), under code 12585. It was declared a Historic Monument on 22 April 1949 and is registered under number 1262-MH.
The piece is a sculpted relief integrated into the wall, made of nummulitic limestone from Girona. Dating from 1467, it bears the heraldic arms of Queen Joan Enríquez, Queen of Navarre and of Catalonia and Aragon, and wife of King John II. The coat of arms was a recognition by the city of Queen Joan Enríquez's role, as the mother of Ferdinand the Catholic, in the context of the Catalan Civil War (1462-1472).

The queen took refuge in the Força Vella of Girona and personally led the resistance and defence during the siege by the troops of the Generalitat. Aware of the strategic weakness of the sector, she ordered the opening of this new gateway to improve access to and communication within the fortress.

The coat of arms is located at the entrance to the Torre Gironella, the highest point of the Roman walls and one of the city's most important defensive structures. It is integrated into a masonry wall and presides over the gateway connecting the Torre Gironella with the courtyard of the Casernes d'Alemanys in Girona, at 2 Carrer de la Muralla.

The shield is ogival in shape, crowned and divided into two main quarters. On the left are three equal red (gules) vertical bars, representing the Royal Sign of Aragon and the arms of the House of Barcelona. The upper right section features a stylised castle in relief with crenellated walls, while the lower right section depicts a rampant lion, also in relief.

The conservation work, carried out in May 2026 by Conservació de Patrimoni 4 Restaura, S.L., under the executive direction of conservator-restorer Nuri de Toro, consisted of cleaning and consolidating the surface, removing organic and inorganic residues (old mortars, etc.), reintegrating damaged areas and applying a protective water-repellent patina.

Project funded by the Office for Support for Cultural Initiatives of the Government of Catalonia.

Photo: Carles Palacios.