Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain - A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

@Takashi Images/Shutterstock

Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau

L'Eixample

LoginSave

Domènech i Montaner outdid himself as architect and philanthropist with the Modernista Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, renamed the 'Recinte Modernista' in 2014. Built between 1902 and 1930, it was long considered one of Barcelona’s most important hospitals, but was repurposed into cultural centres, offices and a monument in 2009. A joint Unesco World Heritage Site together with the Palau de la Música Catalana, the 27-building complex is lavishly decorated and each of its 16 pavilions unique.

Domènech i Montaner wanted to create an environment that would also cheer up patients, setting the hospital around a tranquil courtyard. The most richly adorned space is the Pavelló de l'Administració, with its lobby's domed pink-tiled ceiling and twirling staircase, and, upstairs, the Sala Domènech i Montaner, known for its soaring arched ceiling, fine tilework and stained-glass windows. Among artists who contributed pieces was the prolific Eusebi Arnau.

Guided 90-minute tours (adult/child €20/free) run in Catalan, Spanish, English and French.

Transportation

  • metro: Sant Pau/Dos de Maig

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • BARCELONA - AUGUST 9: View of the Sagrada Familia, iconic landmark in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on August 9, 2017. Designed by Gaudi and estimated to be completed by 2028. Cranes digitally removed 756015418 antoni, antonio, architecture, art, barcelona, blue, building, catalan, catalonia, cathedral, church, city, construction, designed, editorial, europe, facade, familia, family, famous, gaudi, gothic, historical, history, la, landmark, modern, monument, pond, religion, sagrada, sky, spain, spanish, structure, summer, tall, temple, tourism, tower, town, travel

    La Sagrada Família

    0.58 MILES

    The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

  • OCTOBER 26, 2014: People walking past market stalls on the La Rambla street in Barcelona.

    La Rambla

    2.17 MILES

    La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…

  • Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain

    Park Güell

    1.12 MILES

    Visitors and locals alike love Park Güell. The waving balcony and the colorful Guard’s House, with the imposing Barcelona skyline and sea in the…

  • Mercat de la Boqueria

    Mercat de la Boqueria

    2.06 MILES

    Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…

  • Barcelona, Casa Batlló is one of the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí on Passeig de Gràcia From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones.

    Casa Batlló

    1.47 MILES

    One of Europe's strangest residential buildings, Casa Batlló (built 1904–6) is Gaudí at his fantastical best. From its playful facade and marine-world…

  • BARCELONA SPAIN EUROPE,: Inner courtyard of the famous Museu Picasso in Barcelona Catalonia Spain. Located in La Ribera district, it hosts the widest collections of artworks by Pablo Picasso

    Museu Picasso

    1.86 MILES

    Located along the grand, medieval street of Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest artists, Pablo Picasso. Born…

  • Barcelona, Spain - June 12, 2017 : Casa Mila popularly known as La Pedrera or open quarry, a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, i

    La Pedrera

    1.31 MILES

    In the top tier of Gaudí's achievements, this madcap Unesco-listed masterpiece, with 33 balconies, was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office…

  • Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, Spain

    Fundació Joan Miró

    3.08 MILES

    Joan Miró was a Catalan painter and sculptor born in Barcelona who combined abstract art with surrealism. He is considered one of the most influential…

View more attractions

Nearby L'Eixample attractions

1. La Sagrada Família

0.58 MILES

The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

2. Bunkers del Carmel

0.75 MILES

For magnificent 360-degree Barcelona views, head to the El Carmel neighbourhood (under a kilometre east of Park Güell) and up the Turó de la Rovira hill…

3. Palau Macaya

0.86 MILES

The 1901 Palau Macaya is one of Barcelona's great yet least-known Catalan Modernisme gems. It was designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who was…

4. Birra 08

0.89 MILES

Book ahead for an evening tour (English available) of this organic brewery. Over the course of two hours, you'll taste the malt, hops and cereals and,…

5. Museu del Disseny de Barcelona

0.93 MILES

Nicknamed la grapadora (the stapler), Barcelona's fascinating design museum lies inside a monolithic contemporary building with geometric facades and a…

6. Església de les Saleses

0.93 MILES

A singular neo-Gothic effort, this church is interesting because it was designed by Joan Martorell i Montells (1833–1906), Gaudí’s architecture professor…

7. Torre Glòries

0.95 MILES

Barcelona’s famously cucumber-shaped tower, Jean Nouvel’s luminous Torre Glòries (formerly Torre Agbar) is among the most daring additions to the skyline…

8. Casa Llopis i Bofill

1.01 MILES

Casa Llopis i Bofill is an interesting block of flats designed by Antoni Gallissà (1861–1903) in 1902. The graffiti-covered, oriental-inspired facade is…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "spain/barcelona/leixample/attractions/recinte-modernista-de-sant-pau/a/poi-sig/1137197/1320680",
  "destination": "L'Eixample",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Spain",
  "city": "Barcelona",
  "neighborhood": "L'Eixample",
  "position": "superzone"
}