The former Hospital de la Santa Creu is one of Barcelona’s most outstanding Gothic complexes, founded in the 15th century as the city’s general hospital. Located in the heart of El Raval, its monumental architecture of courtyards, gardens and arcaded galleries still breathes the calm of bygone times. Beneath stone arches and soaring ceilings, it now houses institutions such as the Biblioteca de Catalunya, the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, the Reial Acadèmia de Medicina, as well as a former chapel converted into an exhibition space. It is a place that invites visitors to stroll, pause and watch how history quietly converses with everyday life.
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Its cloister, now frequented more by avid readers and fine arts students, invites visitors to wander beneath its vaults.
Look closely at the capitals: some conceal grotesque faces and fantastical scenes, as if the stonemasons had left coded messages for the most observant visitors.
