An Unexpected Bonus; The Monastery in Northern Barcelona

After the Park and Gaudi Pavilions, and the coffee shop break, we trudged up hill to the Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes. 

It was our second monastery in two days, and was better than we expected.  The starkness of the church (which took only one year to build) is beautiful in its own way, but the real joy comes from the quiet, peaceful Cloister and the Grand Hall that features a well done display of devotional art and artifacts from many centuries.

The church itself was, like many in Barcelona, attacked during the early stages of the Spanish Civil War.  It is still a stirring example of Gothic architecture that was built in the early 14th Century.  I hope by now, dear readers, that when you realize that I obsess over old buildings, it's because I grew up in the United States, and did not travel overseas until I was 21 years old.  Seeing things built before Columbus is still quite stirring to me.  Old World/New World, you know?

Despite the widespread damage from 1936, the tomb of Queen Eisenda de Montcada remains.  She founded the convent in 1326.

The convent itself is quite striking, simple beauty that enchanted Mrs. Blogger and myself.  In the middle is a palm tree, a fountain with koi, a well with pretty tiling, and three stories of cloisters.  The third story was added in the 15th Century, so that hardly counts as historic!  (Just kidding!). 

The stunning frescos that decorate St. Micheal's Chapel were done in 1343-1346 in the Italian Gothic style.  The aforementioned Grand Hall is worth a good thirty minutes of wandering around, drinking in the amazing art and church artifacts from back in the day.  There is also some Flemish art, and non-religious art as well. 

My personal favorites are the giant medieval choir books.  I took a picture with my phone, and WhatsApp'd the family, offering to steal the books for Julia's employer, the Rare Book School.  She played along, but there will be no night mission to raid the convent and steal the books!

The day cells along the cloister are also quite striking.  All in all, we spent more time and got more out of this oasis of quiet than we would have expected.  It's definitely worth the trip from the main part of Barcelona.