Mataró was born around 80 BC, when the Roman city of Iluro was founded. It was built on a small elevation on the coastal plain, where today we find the old town. Iluro became one of the most important cities in Roman Catalonia until in the 3rd century AD the Roman Empire went into decline and practically abandoned it.
It is not until 801 that the existence of Mataró is again documented, under the toponym of Alarona. It was a small population center that was later called Civitas Fractai and that was the seed of the medieval Mataró.
Mataró was a small medieval town, which from the 10th century was built around the basilica of Santa Maria. Formed by peasants, under the rule of the feudal lords of Castell de Mata, in 1424 it became Carrer de Barcelona by decree of King Alfonso the Magnificent and broke with the yoke of feudalism.