Hospital of Sant Pau
There is a place in Barcelona that is rarely mentioned in tourist guides but that made a strong impression on us. This place is the Sant Pau Hospital, or St Paul’s Hospital. Located in the modern Eixample district, the work of one of Barcelona’s most famous architects, Lluisa Domènech i Montaner, is inseparable from the climate of its surroundings.Composed of a main building and several pavilions, this hospital is the largest architectural complex of Modernist style in Catalonia. So here you will find red brick, unique patterns inside and outside the building and attention to detail.
In 1997, the Hospital of Sant Pau was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, at the same time as the Palau de la Música Catalana, another work by Domènech i Montaner. Recently renovated, it is now open to visitors who can discover this modernist jewel independently. Little frequented by tourists, it is nevertheless one of the essential places to appreciate the modernist architecture of Barcelona, with its rich ceramics and sculptures that beautifully illustrate Art Nouveau.
History of the Hospital of Sant Pau
The Santa Creu Hospital was founded in 1401 following the merger of the six existing hospitals in Barcelona at the time. However, at the end of the 19th century, the expansion of the city and medical advances made more modern infrastructures necessary. Thanks to a generous donation from the banker Pau Gil, a new hospital complex was built outside the city.
The work began in 1902 and was completed in 1930, resulting in the creation of a symmetrical complex of 27 buildings, 16 of which are in Modernist style. Each pavilion had a separate medical specialty, and an underground network of corridors of more than a kilometer allowed to connect the different pavilions. The architecture, combined with the gardens, aimed to create an optimistic atmosphere to promote the recovery of patients.
In tribute to its patron, the hospital took the name of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Today it is best known as the Hospital de Sant Pau.
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How to get there
The schedules :
monday to Sunday :
9.30 – 18.30 (from March 29 to October).
9.30 – 17 h (November to March)
The entrance is relatively expensive considering the fact that you are visiting the building itself, mainly its exterior part (only a pavilion is open to visitors) and that the price does not include an audio guide. The normal ticket costs 17 EUR. If you are under 29 years old, you must tell at the ticket counter and you will pay 12 EUR (children and young people under 16 years old enter for free). NOTE: if you decide to buy a ticket, be sure to visit it on a sunny day, if it’s gray, the hospital will not be as impressive!
C. Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167 08025 Barcelona
