A la riba del riu Gaià, trobem el monestir de Santes Creus , que era el centre d’un dels dominis monàstics més extensos i influents del Regne d’Aragó. Amb una arquitectura sòlida, seriosa i austera, l’abadia reflecteix el model canònic dels monestirs cistercencs (juntament amb Vallbona de les Monges i Poblet ). Visitar Santes Creus és reviure un moment en què la puresa i la distància del món de les persones es van concretar en un lloc ben arrelat a la terra.
Fundat el 1160, el punt àlgid de Santes Creus es trobava entre els segles XIII i XIV, per la seva estreta relació amb la noblesa i la família reial. Els reis, Pere el Gran i Jaume II el Just i la seva dona, Blanca d’Anjou, eren patrons del monestir i van optar per ser enterrats aquí, en dos mausoleus gòtics al costat de l’altar major. L’estudi i restauració de les tombes reials, el 2010, va permetre que es descobrissin intactes les restes de Pere el Gran i Blanca d’Anjou, les úniques restes dels Reis i Reines de la Corona d’Aragó.
El pla fonamental del monestir va organitzar els espais segons les necessitats de la comunitat. L’església, que es va obrir per al culte el 1225, és un exemple de la transició del romànic al gòtic. Tot i aportar sensació de lleugeresa i grandiositat, és un temple sòlid i auster. Contrasta amb l’esplendor del claustre, que data del segle XIV, el primer d’estil gòtic de la Corona d’Aragó.
The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes stands on one of the peaks of the Serra de Rodes, a mountain range right by the sea in the north of Alt Empordà. It is one of the many testimonials of Catalan Romanesque architecture, but it may also be one of the most architecturally sophisticated.
From the 11th to the 14th century it was the main spiritual centre of the county of Empúries and its splendor can be seen in the large dimensions of the monastic complex. This comprises the church, the bell tower, the cloister, the sacristies, the conventional rooms for everyday living and the Palau de l’Abat (the Abbot's Palace).
The monastery is built in terraces in order to adapt to the terrain and the various buildings are arranged around the cloister and the church, built between the 10th and 11th centuries. In these two buildings you can see an exceptional example of Romanesque sculpture: the columns (original) and the capitals that crown them tell us about the classical influence that has marked this unique church.
On the outside, the ‘portalada’, designed by the Mestre de Cabestany, showed different scenes from the life of Christ carved in white marble. The scarce fragments that remain, give us a sample of their extraordinary quality, probably one of the best of its time.
From the monastery you can enjoy one of the best views of Cap de Creus. Shortly before reaching it, you will see the ruins of the medieval village of Santa Creu de Rodes, the most notable of these being the Church of Santa Helena de Rodes.
Military strategy and religious worship are united on the highest peak of Cardona. From the 9th century, the Castle and the Collegiate Church of Sant Vicenç have dominated the region and control the salt basins. During the War of the Spanish Succession, when they become a symbol of the resistance for the supporters of the Archduke Carles against the defenders of Philip of Anjou: the castle was the last fortress to surrender to the Bourbon troops and it fell after the capitulation of Barcelona on 18th September 1714.
The medieval complex is divided between the stately pavilions and the canonry of Sant Vicenç. The Castle was built in 886 under the command of the Count of Barcelona, Guifré el Pilós, but was not completed until several centuries later. Of the most notable elements of the first building from the 9th century only the Torre de la Minyona remains. During the first half of the 11th century, it was constructed within the precinct of the Church of Sant Vicenç, an imposing building and one of the best samples of the first Catalan Romanesque.
A great example of medieval military fortification, between the 11th and 15th centuries, the castle was the residence of the Lords of Cardona but eventually it lost its residential function and gained strategic importance. From the 17th century, the fortress updated its defensive system with a ring of bastions.
Despite being one of the most emblematic sites, Cardona was not the only setting linked to the War of Succession. The "Route 1714", organised as part of the programme of activities for the tri-centenary, includes 10 locations, such as El Born in Barcelona, the University of Cervera and the Rafael Casanova House Museum, among others.
The MNAC (Catalan National Museum of Art) is located in the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc, built for the international exhibition of 1929. The Museum opened its doors in 1934, bringing together the medieval collection, which was gradually expanded to include works from other periods. Among the most emblematic works are the magnificent paintings from the apse in Sant Climent and Santa Maria de Taüll.
Regarding Romanesque art, other exceptional pieces include the mural paintings of Santa Maria d'Àneu and Sant Quirze de Pedret, the Batlló Majesty and the altar frontal of Avià. Notable from the Gothic period are masterpieces by painters such as Jaume Huguet, Lluís Dalmau, Bernat Martorell and Lluís Borrassà, among others.
Modern art also has a prominent place and especially since 2014 when the collection, the exhibition rooms and the museography of this period was renovated. La vicaria (The Spanish Wedding) by Marià Fortuny, is one of the star works, followed by pieces of the most representative artists of Modernisme, such as Gaudí or Casas, and those of the avant-garde, such as Picasso or Miró.
There are also great artists from the European Renaissance and Baroque such as Titian or Velazquez, for example, and the photographic exhibits complete the collection.
The Modernista Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover woollen mill is one of the finest examples of industrial Modernista architecture in Catalonia. Designed by the architect Lluís Muncunill and opened in 1908, it is currently the headquarters of the Museu Nacional de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya - MNACTEC (National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia).
With its characteristic roof of Catalan-vaulted skylights supported by cast iron pillars, and a 42-metre high chimney, the building housed the entire process for transforming wool, from fleece to woven cloth. The name by which the mill is popularly known, 'El Vapor' (steam), refers to the steam engine that was its driving force until 1914.
The museum today reflects the building's industrial past as a woollen mill. The aim of the MNACTEC is both to conserve and raise awareness about Catalonia's scientific, technical and industrial heritage, while also demonstrating the social impact it had. The permanent exhibitions encompass the textile industry, sources of energy, computing, chemistry and transport, amongst others.
The MNACTEC also oversees a Territorial System that coordinates 26 museums and other centres specialising in industrial, scientific and technological heritage. Each of them provides a unique thematic perspective that helps explain the process of industrialisation in Catalonia, as well as the technical, social and cultural repercussions it had.
Eusebi Güell, faithful defender of the works of Antoni Gaudí, commissioned the architect to design a church for the textile village that he had constructed in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, close to Barcelona.
Construction didn't begin until the end of 1908, two years after its commission. Moreover, Gaudí abandoned the project in 1914 and work was suspended indefinitely in 1916, at which point only the crypt was built.
But for Antoni Gaudí, both the project and the construction of the crypt in Colònia Güell were a testing laboratory, where he experimented with architectural solutions and new structural techniques that he later used in the Sagrada Família. He made bold attempts, using brick and stone that pushed the limits of the construction of architectural structures, such as the parabolic arches and the sloping walls and columns.
In 1885, Eusebio Guell commissioned Antonio Gaudi to construct his residence in the heart of Barcelona, specifically in the street Nou de la Rambla. Gaudí conceived a solemn and ostentatious building, and used rich and expensive materials such as marble, hardwood and wrought iron. The sobriety of the façade, most likely due to its location on a small site on a narrow street, contrasts with the lavishness of its interior. Parabolic arches on the façade are decorated with wrought iron railings, and give away to a wide entrance, allowing for the entry of horses and carriages.
The building is accessed through a magnificent central hall covered by a dome that exceeds the height of the roof and, through perforations shaped like a star, lets in sunlight. The hall, with a chapel attached, is richly decorated with columns, windows and grilles and leads to other rooms, all replete with windows and ornate furniture. The palace also has a large stable basement, a feature that few houses had.
There is also innovation in the use of chimneys located on the roof of the building; elements frequently used in the imaginative decoration of Gaudí. In fact, it is in the design of these chimneys that the architect first used a decorative resource that became most representative of his work: the 'trencadís' (mosaic).
The Casa Milà is one of Antoni Gaudí's most unique works. Situated right on the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, it breaks with the physiognomy of the avenue. It is a building constructed with two interior patios and a basement, lower floor, main floor, four apartments, attic and roof. Gaudí established the building's structure based on stone pillars, brick and iron and the main support of the catenary archand parabolic arch.
Its construction generated a great deal of controversy in the early 1900's. Barcelonans gave it the nickname "La Pedrera," (the quarry) which refers to the type of creamy white stone used that comes from the quarries in Garraf and Vilafranca del Penedès.
Many also described it as a large boat that rowed along the Passeig de Gràcia. The building's façade is characterised by theundulations and openings in the stone to facilitate interior lighting and ventilation.
The building featured 20 homes that were rented to affluent families of the era. The Milà couple, the owners of the property, lived in the penthouse apartment. La Pedrera, however, is not a conventional residential building. Gaudí's objective was to create dwellings in movement, where everyone could have their own layout according to the needs of each tenant
The building is crowned with a rooftop terrace, finished with seven chimneys, covered withlime, white 'trencadís' (mosaic) and glass. The heads of seven mythological warriors are featured, which, from the almost imaginary rooftop, watch over the city.
Pablo Picasso and Barcelona had a special connection. He lived there during his childhood and youth. For this reason, he chose this city to open, in 1963, the first Picasso museum in the world and the only one created during the artist's life. Its main legacy is the most comprehensive collection of works executed by the artist during his youth, comprising more than 4,000 items. That is why the Picasso Museum of Barcelona has become a reference centre for discovering the early stages in Picasso’s artistic career.
Most of the pieces that can be seen in the museum date back to the period between 1890 to 1917. The tour includes paintings from the artist’s childhood and school years (Man with Beret), from his
Particularly outstanding among the paintings executed after 1917, is the Las Meninas, series from 1957, a group of 58 paintings analysing the masterpiece by Velázquez. Here you will also find the collection of etchings, lithographs and ceramics.
The entire exhibition of avant-garde art is housed in the interior of five major palaces in the street Carrer Montcada, that date back to the 13th-14th centuries and are an excellent example of Catalan Gothic civil architecture.
The old Mill in Vila de Capellades, one of the most important both in Catalonia and Spain, is now the Paper Mill Museum. Its mission is twofold: on the one hand, to promote the industrial and historical heritage of papermaking from the 13th century until the beginning of the 20th century; and on the other hand, to give continuity to the artisan activity of handmade paper.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, its easily accessible environment and an abundance of water made Capellades the capital of paper, with illustrious names like Soteras, Romeu, Guarro, Serra and Romaní. The high quality of its products was appreciated by customers in Spain as well in the overseas colonies.
Tools, machinery, labels, wooden stamps and the different varieties of paper exhibited in the museum are the witnesses to this industrial task. To these aims must be added conservation and new uses of the mill buildings, and the numerous documents about the technology and the art of the papermaking.
Integrated in the network of the Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya, during the last few years the Paper Mill Museum has also become a meeting point for professionals to explore the possibilities of paper as an artistic material.
