Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

A city within a city:  

"The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau came into being in 1401 with the merging of the six hospitals in the city of Barcelona at that time. Santa Creu, the Hospital of the Holy Cross, as it was called in those days, was right in the centre of the city, in what is now the Raval district, in one of the most important examples of Catalan Civil Gothic architecture.

By the late nineteenth century, due to the rapid growth of Barcelona's population and advances in medicine,the hospital became too small, and it was decided to construct a new building. Thanks to the bequest of the Catalan banker Pau Gil, the first stone of the new hospital, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, was laid on 15 January 1902, though the new facilities would not be opened until 1930.

The materials chosen for the Art Nouveau Site were the best, the most durable and the most suitable, without overlooking artistic aspects, for the purpose of creating pleasant natural surroundings for the patients.  These materials included red brick; stone, used for all the decoratie architectural details, sculptures, ceramics, with which to clad the domes, roofs and the decorative panels  both inside and outside the pavilions; ceramic mosaic; wood; marble; glass; metal and iron. 

After more than a century as the home of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, in 2009, an ambitious restoration project following the transfer of all healthcare activities to the new Hospital has restored the cultural and artistic glories of the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, the most important work of Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner.

After almost 4 years of restoration, the Hospital Sant Pau opened its doors to visitors on February 25, 2014.

With this transformation, the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, in which history and innovation go hand in hand, has become a new point of reference in the city of Barcelona.  

Sant Pau hosts a knowledge centre set up by leading institutions in the fields of sustainability, health and education, among others. In addition to running their own programmes and projects in the Site, these organisations undertake joint initiatives geared to finding meaningful responses to the challenges facing society in the twenty-first century.

The plan

Entry into one of he underground tunnels previously used by hospital staff to transport patients from one pavilion to another.  

When we came up out of the tunnel into the courtyard area we were surprised to hear music and people dancing.  A young woman was waiting at the top of the stairs to tell everybody that our visit would be somewhat curtailed by this festive local dance tradition.

This is the Sardana: the traditional national dance of Catalunya; it is a symbol of their national pride and identity. 

The Catalans are a very proud and patriotic people with distinct traditions and culture that set them aside from Castellan Spain. Many Catalans consider the region of Catalunya to be distinct from Spain and even though it is within Spain there has been much campaigning for an independent Catalunya for over 150 years.

Franco saw the Catalans as a threat - their desire for independence and their deep national pride was considered to be insolent, arrogant and a personal affront. His dislike for the Catalans was such that he enforced many crippling laws in an attempt to remove the traditions and language of the Catalan culture and thus make Spain a uniform state. Among other rules he enforced, he banned Catalan being spoken as well as any of the Catalan traditions

The Sardana therefore, is considered by Catalans to be a powerful symbol of national unity and identity, which captures the spirit of Catalunya. Even under tyrannical rule, the true nature of the Catalans remained and this is captured perfectly through the Catalan dancing of the Sardana; people dancing, united together, from all different walks of life and ages, casting their differences aside and proudly saying, with their hands and heads raised high that they are Catalans and proud to be.

The Catalan dancing is complemented by a 'cobla' a small group of musicians accompanying the dance with a selection of brass instruments and lead by the 'flaviol' a type of flute whilst the tambourine sets the rhythm.

So, what is involved in the dance you ask? Circles of people join together- it can either be of the same sex, mixed or with couples. For pure authentication, no formal wear is worn, normal attire is usual, and all ages and classes join in. Dancers hold hands with raised arms and follow a leader who leads the movements and timing.

The steps are meticulous and very precise, one false move and you can put the whole circle out of step! It is also considered bad etiquette if you join a circle that is just made up of couples. When a circle becomes too big, more circles are formed and the final spectacle, with maybe four or five circles dancing is wonderful to watch.

As a tourist you should not join the dance unless you know the steps.  Someone who does not know the steps throws off the entire circle.  My suggestion for tourists is to curb their enthusiasm and just watch and appreciate.  The Catalans will appreciate you for your courtesy.

Ok back to the complex.  What a beautiful place.  It is no wonder it took 28 years to complete.  The pavilions are arranged along two main axes.  All the pavilions are isolated, each one was alloted its own medical speciality and they are linked together by underground pedestian tunnels.  Women were housed in the pavilions on the left and the men on the right.

The beauty of this place almost makes one want to contract some contagious disease, such as tuberculosis in order to be admitted here.  

Decorated stone and ornamental pinnacles.  The domes are clad with monochrome scales in different colours, placed to created decorative patterns.

The tiled ceilings and walls were decorated with ceramics to guarantee hygiene, since ceramic materials are easy to clean.  The gentle colors also served a therapeutic purpose.

This is the largest of the buildings and the richest in ornamentation and decorative profusion.  Built between 1905 and 1910, it was conceived as the main entrace as well as to house the administrative and hospital admission offices.  

Outstanding aspects of the ceiling are the nine vaults resting on stone and marble columns.  In a combination of spheres and ellipses, all the vaults are clad with rectangular pink-lilac tiles arranged like sprigs.  The small circles in the pendentives feature heraldic and numerical motifs linked together against a blue background.  Just a beautiful building.

The grand staircase

The stairway ceiling

A ceiling of a hallway off the main second level

Ceiling

of a day room overlooking the front of the building.  From the windows you can see the Basilica Familia Sagrada

On the balustrade all around the room, in large gothic letters is a prayer that reads:

"Succor, Lord, the benefactors and the inmates of this holy house here on earth and in Heaven and inspire sentiments of charity towards it. Amen."

Painting by Alaix Clapes, represents the transfer of the remains of Saint Eulalia

Relief ceramics

The windows in this room overlook the central courtyard

The hospiital-garden concept was a new one when the Site was buiolt, since at that time open-air areas for patients' enjoyment and wellbeing were regared as unnecessary.  The architect's aim was to design two gardens per pavilion to create a cheerful, optimitstic atmosphere tht wold alleviate the pain and suffering of patients and their famillies and contribute to the patients recovery.  The plants and trees purify the air. They sheltered the open areas from the wind and preserved humidity.  Today, few of he original trees survive, ecept for the two date palms that preside over the planting beds at the entrance and the orange trees.

I hope you can read this sign.  It treats the restoration project as if it were a patient being diagnosed and treated by physicians.  I thought it quite clever and fitting to end this really long blog.  It certainly describes the amount of restoration work required to return it to its former glory.