This incredible project began in Venice and has taken me all over the world! Two years after beginning my research, I found the Casa de la Misericordia in Barcelona, the old property which housed the orphanage, baby deposit box, church, school, and more.
Every single baby deposit box and orphanage is different. They had different systems, different locations to raise the children, different infant mortality rates, and more. The baby deposit box in Barcelona is called, in Catalan, "El Torn Dels Orfes" or "the Orphan's hole." The original baby deposit box was installed in Barcelona in 1583 and was moved to its current location in the mid-19th century.
El Torn Dels Orfes in Barcelona
Today, the sight of El Torn dels Orfes is a government building but the deposit box (or wheel, as the Barcelona one functioned) and its donation slot beside it are preserved as historical artifacts. It is still possible to enter the building where the orphanage was located or the church where many of the children later served as clergy, but these sights are hidden within contemporary art museums and spaces for exhibitions.
A sign for "La Iglesia de La Misericordia" or the church of mercy where the Innocents were taken.
The wheel in Barcelona was closed in 1931, later than most of the baby deposit boxes in Europe. As such, many of the facilities and locations are well preserved as opposed to other cities where these artifacts were either removed or deliberately hidden.