Col·legi de les Teresianes is one of Antoni Gaudí’s most extraordinary creations in Barcelona, which is protected by a gate and surrounded by a garden, rising up as an imposing fortress-like building. This gigantic school is still in use more than 125 years after its construction.

Gaudí took over the project when the architect Joan Pons Trabal had already laid the foundations. Therefore, he retained the original square floor plan and transformed the building into what resembles a castle, drawing inspiration from “Castillo interior” by Saint Teresa of Jesús, the order’s founder. The architect redesigned the project while maintaining its original dimensions and added internal courtyards that allow natural light to shine through.

Unlike his other works, Gaudí faced a tight budget. As a result, he used brick as the building material and opted for a more austere decorative style. Nevertheless, the outcome is a grandiose building with highly expressive architecture.

The school has many of Gaudí's characteristic features, such as parabolic arches, spiral columns, wrought-iron railings and four-armed crosses. Listed as a Site of Cultural Interest in 1969, Col·legi de les Teresianes is today a fine example of Modernist architecture applied to the educational sector.