Sant Pau Art Nouveau Hospital

A Catholic charity hospital, the original Santa Creu i Sant Pau started way back in 1401. But in the early 20th century a banker's incredibly generous bequest made it possible to build a new hospital, indeed an entire health-care campus. The Moderniste Lluis Domenech i Montener (of Palau de la Musica fame) was chosen as chief architect, and what he proposed was a complex of nearly 50 pavilions, each dedicated to a specific condition or medical speciality, with ample green space, open air, and some 145 square meters allotted to each patient. Montener worked on the project for the rest of his life (he died in 1923), and then his son took over on the 18 pavilions that actually were completed (including a chapel). The complex was in use for many years, but then new structures were added that were not part of the original Moderniste project. In any case, Montener was as famous a Moderniste as Gaudi, and the Sant Pau one sees today, much degraded and in the process of restoration, is the world's only Art Nouveau hospital. It became a World Heritage site in 1997, and today is Europe's largest architectural/artistic restoration project. The tour we took was exemplary. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.