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Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
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Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Often referred to as a “city within a city,” the sprawling hospital complex of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is considered to be one of the jewels of modernisme. Founded over 600 years ago, the hospital went through several stages before becoming the architectural marvel it is today.
A Medieval History
In 1348, an outbreak of the Black Death devastated medieval Barcelona, killing off a third of its population. At the time, the city had six small hospitals, all overseen by private individuals or religious entities, and all were heavily dependent on public charity. However, in the aftermath of such a widespread health emergency, the need for a more structured public health system became obvious to the city’s leaders. The Hospital de la Santa Creu was founded a few years later, in 1401; the intention was to bring all six of Barcelona’s small hospitals under one roof in order to streamline administration and budgeting, and offer more effective healthcare.
The construction of the new hospital was authorized in a Papal Bull by Pope Benedict XIII. It was a large, Gothic-style rectangular structure with four wings, built around a central courtyard in the ecclesiastical style of a monastery. This centralized facility, which was finally completed in 1450, was managed by a combination of representatives from the local city government and the church. More was added on to the original medieval buildings in the seventeenth century, such as the Casa Convalescència, and small improvements were made throughout the following three centuries.
The medieval buildings of the Hospital de la Santa Creu now houses the Biblioteca de Catalunya and other cultural organizations, including an arts school. Photo by Josep Renalias (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Over the years, the hospital would acquire other sources of funding apart from alms and private donations, thanks to a variety of privileges granted to the institution by kings and popes. This made it possible to continue to expand and evolve the scope of the hospital’s research and other activities; for example, the creation of the Royal College of Surgery in 1760, which would become the future Faculty of Medicine of the Universitat de Barcelona. This funding went not only to caring for the facility’s patients, but also to charitable activities such as the care and education of much of the city’s orphan population.
During the 19th century, the hospital gained a reputation as an important center of research and education. However, it was around this time—after approximately five centuries of being the main source of medical care for the city—that the hospital became unable to keep up with the city’s constant growth and the advances in medical science that were sweeping Europe. Another facility would have to be built.
The Industrial Revolution and Modernisme
The 19th century in Catalunya was marked by an industrialization boom driven largely by the region’s growing textile production, and the resulting social and economic growth spurred significant urban expansion. The hospital buildings in the narrow streets of the Raval became too small and too crowded to serve the growing population.
In 1902, construction began on the new hospital complex thanks to the endowment of a wealthy banker named Pau Gil, who in his will in 1896 designated a large part of his fortune for the purpose of building a new hospital; its name was to be the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau in honor of its benefactor. Gil’s executors, Josep Ferrer i Vidal and Edmond Sivatte, were in charge of overseeing the massive project, which was entrusted to one of the most notable modernista architects of the time, Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The construction of the new hospital coincided with great changes that were being made to the city of Barcelona, ever since the revolutionary urban expansion plan by Ildefons Cerdà had been approved several decades earlier. As a result, the hospital complex would end up being a part of the new neighborhood of l’Eixample.
The site was only a stone’s throw away from the Sagrada Família, a fifteen-minute walk along the tree-lined street called Avenida General Primo de Rivera, which was rechristened in 1962 as the Avinguda de Gaudí. However, Antoni Gaudí did not live to see the new hospital’s completion: he was treated and died in the medieval hospital building after being run over by a tram in 1926. Construction of the new facility wasn’t completed until 1930, when it was officially inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII.
The concept behind the Hospital de Sant Creu i Sant Pau reflected a growing interest in a holistic concept of health and society: it was not only designed to incorporate the new concepts of hygiene, scientific medicine and research which were revolutionizing the world of health care, but also to be a relaxing environment, filled with light and surrounded by nature.
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Early 20th century photo of the interior of the Sant Rafael pavilion. Photo courtesy of the Historical Archive of Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau.
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Pavelló de Sant Rafael interior. Photo by Ralf Roletschek (GFDL 1.2) via Wikimedia Commons.
Architecture as Healthcare
The building materials reflect the modernista trends of that era, combining red brick, natural stone, ceramic, glass and ironwork that was both functional and decorative. The entrance to the facility is impressive, with marble columns, intricate mosaics and a high, domed ceiling; the connection to the church is evident in the colorful yet cathedral-like atmosphere in the main hall.
But the design of this hospital had a purpose that went beyond pure aesthetics: Domènech i Montaner took his inspiration from some of the most modern medical facilities on the European continent at that time such as the Am Urban in Berlin and the Lariboisière in Paris, as well as his own design for the Pere Mata Institute, a psychiatric hospital in Reus. He believed that a psychologically pleasing environment would help patients in their recovery process, as would practical concerns of good ventilation, privacy and accessibility.
The nearly thirty buildings that make up the complex were designed on one of two north-south axis or east-west axis, which form a cross in the emblem of the old Hospital de la Creu, in order to permit the façades the maximum amount of exposure to natural light. (The original design intended the complex to be even larger, comprising a total of 48 buildings , but only 26 were built.) The hospital pharmacy, kitchen and a convent for the nuns who worked there as nurses were located at the intersection of these two main avenues.
Underground corridors of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, photo by Fred Romero (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
The complex—the buildings and the surrounding green areas and walkways—occupy the space of an entire city block, making it the largest modernista complex in Spain. It was divided up into four quadrants: for infectious and non-infectious diseases, and for male and female patients. The buildings were organized into twelve pavilions which were ingeniously connected by underground tunnels and walkways, which enabled patients to be transported quickly and with minimal contact with other patients.
On the grounds, the main promenade is lined with fragrant orange, lemon, chestnut and linden trees, as well as with beds of rosemary, lavender and other aromatic herbs. All of this was designed with the comfort of the recovering patients and their families in mind; Domènech i Montaner believed in the therapeutic and calming effects of being surrounded by nature. He attempted to offer this experience even to patients recovering indoors, as the hospital rooms were outfitted with large windows, and the decorations on the walls and ceilings were adorned with motifs inspired by nature, such as vines and flowers. The architecture was designed to make the rooms airy and peaceful, the decorative elements bright and colorful.
Apart from its psychological considerations, the hospital’s construction was also ahead of its time in terms of sustainability: nearly 400 wells, each approximately one hundred meters deep, formed a geothermal installation that heated the entire compound, which was constructed on an upwards slope so the warmer air would rise. The ventilation system was designed in such a way to minimize contagion and infection.
The architect’s son, Pere Domènech i Roura, was in charge of overseeing the final phase of construction after his father died in 1923.
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, photo by Fred Romero (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
A Modern Hospital and a Modernista World Heritage Site
The hospital at the modernista site was operational for 80 years, until the facilities were moved to a new, medically updated site located just to the north of the historic complex. The new hospital facility was proposed in 1990 by the MIA (the “Molt Il·lustre Administració,” or Most Illustrious Association”), composed of representatives from the Catalan Generalitat, the Barcelona City Council and the Cathedral Chapter. This entity was and continues to be responsible for the non-profit organizations that control both the historic facilities and the modern health facilities. The Board of Trustees of the Fundació de Gesció Sanitària de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is the highest governing body of the medical hospital, while the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Private Foundation is in charge of maintaining the modernista site as well as overseeing its charitable works and cultural activities.
The newer, more modern hospital was built in 2003 by a team of Catalan architects—Gil, Ruis, Canosa, Barberà and Bonell—and most of the medical departments had moved there by 2009, when massive renovations were begun on the Domènech i Montaner hospital. The new building is composed of approximately 83,000 square meters of space laid out in the formation similar to a human hand; there is a main central block for outpatient care and five attached blocks for in-patient hospitalizations. It has 644 beds, 21 operating rooms, and serves hundreds of thousands of patients each year; it is a part of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Faculty of Medicine and its School of Nursing.
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Hospital de Sant Pau, Pavelló de Sant Rafael photo by Ralf Roletschek (GFDL 1.2) via Wikimedia Commons.
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South facade of the Pavelló de Sant Rafae, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Photo by Joe Mabel (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2014, the refurbished Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau was officially opened for visits by the public. The Barcelona City Council, the Spanish Government, the Generalitat de Catalunya and all the other parties involved put heavy emphasis on preserving the authenticity of the original structures and their ornamentation during the renovation process. Buildings that had not been included in the architect’s original plan were knocked down, and the above-ground and underground infrastructure was reinforced and improved.
Since it reopened, the site has served as a cultural center and museum, and has played host to a variety of privately- and publicly-sponsored events over the years. The Pavilion of Sant Rafael recreates the look and feel of a historic hospital pavilion from the era of the 1920s and 1930s, so that visitors can experience what the hospital was like a century ago. The large Administration Pavilion is frequently used for a variety of conferences, presentations and other public and private events. The museum also houses a research facility, as well as an extensive archive of records chronicling the space’s history as a medical facility, which is open to researchers as well as the general public.
The original medieval hospital building in El Raval is still standing, just behind the Boquería market. Today, it is the home of the Massana Art School and the National Library of Catalunya.
How to Get There
Located at Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167 in Barcelona’s Eixample neighborhood, you can easily get to it using the metro (Sant Pau-Dos de Maig, L5, or Guinardó, L4) or the public bus system. From the Sagrada Família, Carrer de Gaudí leads directly to the Hospital de Sant Pau. The walk is approximately a kilometer, and is worth it in order to get a wider view of both monuments.
Tickets for general entry are €12.60 for Barcelona city residents (€18.00 for non-residents) and can be purchased on the official website at santpaubarcelona.org.
Open Hours
- April-October, Monday-Sunday, 9:30-18:30
- November-March, Monday-Sunday, 9:30-17:00