In Barcelona, the names of saints are being erased from the streets. Hand in hand with the most radical and ideological (and contradictory) feminism, the roles of saintly women have been replaced with the names of local women who were not saints, highlighting their fathers’ last names.
Exalting the Patriarchy They Claim to Fight
Instead of recognizing women for their merit and virtue, the supposed feminist discourse replaced their sanctity with a man’s name. They claim to fight against the patriarchy (which literally means «the rule of the fathers»), but they have only exacerbated it (in its most profound essence, not in the sense their ideology assigns to it, which asserts that the «patriarchy» oppresses women).
This happened in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona. The streets once named after Saint Agatha, Saint Rosa, and Saint Magdalene have now been renamed Agatha Badia i Puig Rodon, Magdalene E. Blanc, and Rosa Puig Rodon.
«Feminism, Equality, and Democratic Memory»
Historically, socialism has been linked to atheism, and now that the socialists are governing in Catalonia, they are demonstrating it. The Barcelona City Council, controlled by the Socialist Party, justifies the decision to change these names, citing an initiative to increase the number of streets named after women. However, the streets already bore women’s names—they simply didn’t want them to be those of saints.
Raquel Gil, Councilor for «Feminism, Equality, and Democratic Memory,» dismissed the official narrative, stating, «Today we decided that women have first and last names beyond beliefs and other issues.»
Against the Erasure of Women
Although they have not protested in this particular case, there is a movement in Spain called «Against the Erasure of Women,» led by feminists who challenge the gender agenda that allows men to declare themselves women.
Moreover, in Spain, thanks to the «Trans Law»—which emerged from the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 (yes, that’s its name)—people can legally change their gender without needing to present a medical certificate; their testimony is sufficient.
In the case of the Barcelona City Council, however, it’s evident how feminist lobbying is pushing for more female representation in street names. However, they are erasing the historical names of several streets that honored women—in this case, three saints.
A Step Towards Islamization
In light of the de-Christianization of the streets, European Parliament member Hermann Tertsch warned that it is only a matter of time before the street names are replaced by Islamic names. And not just any Muslim names, but those of terrorists and leaders who were fought against during the Crusades.
In other words, Tertsch predicts that a Catalonia alienated from its history will end up glorifying its historical enemies. After all, the Reconquista took place in 1492 after more than 700 years of fighting against the Islamic advance in the Iberian Peninsula.
«It’s Ideological and Reflects the Left’s Obsession with Destroying Catholicism»
Vox leader Gonzalo de Oro also criticized the name changes, saying that «the renaming of streets dedicated to saints and the monarchy only reflects the left’s obsession with eliminating anything related to Catholicism and Spanish identity.»
He accuses Ada Colau, and now Jaume Collboni, of attempting to «erase» streets named after saints. De Oro considers it «absurd» to change the name of a historic street just to remove the word «saint.»
Even the People’s Party (PP) has reacted. The PP president in the city council, Daniel Sirera, remarked, «It’s ideological and reflects the left’s obsession with destroying Catholicism.»
In doing so, they ignore the impact that these saints had on people’s lives. In the case of Saint Agatha, for example, her role was specifically to care for women with ailments, as she is the patron saint of women who have been victims of abuse or breast cancer.
Male Saints Suffer the Same Fate
Although most of the streets affected have been those dedicated to female saints, there is also a case involving a male saint. The name of San Rafael Street, in the Raval neighborhood, is in the process of being changed.
There is already an initiative underway to protect it, led by e-christians, which aims to preserve Christian traditions and restore historic names.
Replacing Historic Names with Ideological Figures
Forum Libertas criticizes the city council’s measures, arguing that they seek to erase over 150 years of history and deny the fact that this heritage is something many citizens wish to preserve. They point out that the new street names imposed by the Barcelona City Council aim to subvert this reality.
Finally, they lament that historic names have been replaced with ideological figures. As J.R.R. Tolkien said: «Evil cannot create anything new, it can only corrupt or ruin what good forces have invented or built.»
Mamela Fiallo Flor es profesora de lengua e historia, columnista y conferencista. Plasma su amor por la libertad y pasión por la verdad en cada nota.
