The Monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants, from the 12th century, is one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Girona. It is located within the urban setting of the city, an unusual fact given that most monasteries are found in places of isolation. But this Benedictine Abbey is also unique for its chancel and the bell tower.
The chancel of Sant Pere is unique for having a complicated asymmetrical form: it is formed by a main apse with two apsidioles on one side and one on the other, while at the end of the arm of the transept there is another lateral apse which makes one think about the reuse of elements from a previous church. Within this space is found the perfectly symmetrical eight-sided bell tower, with Lombard decoration.
Most notable is the sculpture found on the capitals of the main nave and, above all, those of the chancel. It is these for which Sant Pere de Galligants is most famous; and which have generated most controversies... some historians are firmly convinced that they bear the hand of the Master of Cabestany and his workshop; others, however, believe that they are influenced by the School of Toulouse.
From 1857, Sant Pere de Galligants was used as a museum of archaeology and fine arts, one of the oldest in Catalonia. Currently it is the headquarters of the Girona branch of the Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia and includes the archaeological materials found in the excavations of several sites in the Girona region, from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
Since 1992, a new Barcelona has been gaining ground, one which has attracted renowned architects and which has made it a benchmark in design. There is the Collserola Tower, by Norman Foster; L'Auditori, by Rafael Moneo; the TNC (National Theatre of Catalonia), by Ricard Bofill; and the Bac de Roda bridge, by Santiago Calatrava.
The Olympic village and the Olympic Ring with the brand-new Palau Sant Jordi, designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, have given way to other symbols of contemporary Barcelona.
And there are entire neighbourhoods of the city that are linked to postmodern architecture, for example, the 22@, a district of Barcelona within the industrial neighbourhood of Poblenou, which is creating a new urban model based on technology, efficiency and sustainability. Presiding over the area is the Agbar Tower, by Jean Nouvel, and the new Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Barcelona Design Museum), located in a unique building in the Plaça de les Glòries.
Another centre of modernity is at the heart of El Raval, with the coming together of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). The two centres bring together the essence of the art and culture in the 20th and 21st century.
A Baroque church, a neo-classical convent-residence... and a cavern. These three elements make up the Cave of Sant Ignasi de Manresa, an architectural complex converted into a Centre of Spirituality, which is one of the iconic images of the capital of the Bages region.
Located on Puig de Sant Bartomeu, in one of the caverns formed by erosion from the waters of the Cardener river, this complex was built around the site where tradition says that St. Ignatius of Loyola lived for 11 months, meditating and writing part of his Spiritual Exercises, between 1522 and 1523.
In the cavern is the Relleu del Rapte de Sant Ignasi, (the Rapture of San Ignatius), a mid-17th century alabaster altarpiece, carved by the Manresan sculptor, Joan Grau, his Francesc and Josep Sunyer.
The Church, built in the 18th century with design of Josep Moretó of Vic, combines a discreet interior, in which the altar of the Blessed stands out, with a Baroque façade, both rich in elements and proportionate to its size.
Completing the complex is the convent-residence of the Jesuits, of neoclassical inspiration, and the lobby or hallway that connects the Church and the cavern, modernista in style and decorated with marble, mosaics, stucco, stained glass and metals.
Located on the northern side of the Pallàrs Sobirà, is Gerri de la Sal, a small medieval village that still retains its enclosure and which is noted for its industrial and architectural heritage: the alfolí, or salt storehouse, and the Monastery of Santa Maria.
The exploitation of the source of the salt, was, until recently, the main economic driving force for this town, which is reflected in its name. As a witness to this industrial past, the Casa de la sal or the Reial Alfolí de Gerri, the Royal warehouse, where the salt was extracted, treated and stored from the Middle Ages, remain. Considered to have the largest floor plan of any civil building in Pallars, it now houses the Museum of Gerri de la Sal.
The cultural interest of the complex is completed with the remains of an example of the Catalan Romanesque in its purest form: the Monastery of Santa Maria, which lies just outside the village.
Dedicated to the Benedictine order in 1149, it soon became an important evangelical centre for the Bishop of Urgell and also one of the richest. But at the end of the 12th century the Counts withdrew support for the monastery, and took its land and properties. The economic problems and the disputes led to the depopulation of its domains and it was finally deconsecrated in 1835. Of the monastery, now only the Church with the atrium or entrance porch remains. Inside you can see up to 30 decorated capitals.
On the east bank of Lake Banyoles, between Paratge dels Desmais and Caseta de Fusta and following the landscaped walkways, some unique constructions stand out: the fisheries.
The construction of these fishing platforms began in the 19th century and continued until 1931, when the Council banned the building of any more. Originally simple, they became more sophisticated as time went on. Their form is functional, becoming large, wider structures with the capacity for more boats, a symbol of social and economic prestige.
As a result of the expansion of the Catalan bourgeoisie and the practice of water sports, the fisheries were the object of reforms throughout the 20th century, both to increase their storage capacity, and so people could stay there.
Currently they can only be viewed from the outside as they are privately-owned.
The CaixaForum is located in the former fàbrica tèxtil Casaramona (Casaramona textile factory) in Montjuïc, which specialised in the manufacture of blankets and towels. This building designed by Josep Puig is an exceptional example of Catalan industrial "modernista" architecture of the early twentieth century. It comprises a set of single-story buildings, a horizontal construction to facilitate the transfer of goods through a system of internal streets that at the same time also served as a firewall.
The building was acquired by Obra Social "la Caixa" in 1963. In 2002, after a restoration and expansion project, it became a cultural centre for Barcelona. It offers social, cultural and educational programming that includes ongoing events such as lectures, film screenings, performances, concerts and family activities.
In addition, a quarter of the total 12,000 m2 building is occupied by ancient, modern and contemporary art exhibitions. It also has an outstanding collection of artistic and documentary art media.
Cervera is home to one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Catalonia. The imposing sobriety of the University building is the remaining trace of the institution that was built here.
It was the political circumstances that made the creation of this institution of higher education possible. King Felip V founded it in 1717 as compensation for damages suffered during the war of the Spanish succession, and became the intellectual centre of Catalonia.
The majestic architecture of the building follows a scheme borrowed from military architecture, with a rectangular floor plan and towers on the corners. The main façade is in the moderate Baroque style and was adapted to local character, while the second façade, the interior, represents the new neo-classical trends.
The most significant area of this majestic building is the paranymph or events hall, which also includes the chapel. On the altar there is a Baroque altarpiece made by the master Jaume Padró, a small apse with alabaster sculptures from Sarral surrounded by coloured marbles. The complex is presided over by the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the University and the representative of the Wisdom.
The greatest monument in Catalonia is also the largest bastioned fortress in Europe. The Castle of Sant Ferran occupies an area of 550,000 m² at the top of the hill of Figueres. As a good frontier Castle, the location is unbeatable: It has good views of the Serra de l’Albera, which creates the border with France, and the Gulf of Roses.
Undoubtedly it was constructed to meet the need to reinforce the border after the Peace of the Pyrenees of 1659 and owes its name to King Ferran VI (Ferdinand VI). The fortification, which was begun in 1766 but was only completed in 1892, consists of two enclosures.
The interior, of more than 325,000 m2, consists of six bastions connected by stretches of wall. The size of the building cannot go unnoticed: stables with capacity for 500 horses, warehouses to store food for 10,000 people for a year, the main square, new pavilions for the accommodation of the officials and their families, and four big cisterns with a total capacity of nine million litres of water.
The exterior enclosure, with a perimeter of 3,120 metres, made up of three hornworks, seven ravelins and two counterguards. It is separated from the outside by a large moat of 10 hectares, which can currently be visited, including the underground galleries.
Its monumental dimensions have always made military activity both difficult and very costly which has frequently meant that it has not been used to its full potential. Since 1997 regular guided tours of the Castle of Sant Ferran have been organised.
Walking through the Colònia Vidal Museum at Puig-reig allows to us know what life and work was like in a Catalan textile colony of the early 20th century. Spaces such as the school, the factory or the homes give testimony to the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia.
Situated right next to the Llobregat river in order to use its water as a source of energy, the Colònia Vidal formed part of one of the main concentrations of textile colonies in Europe. Notable within the architectural complex are buildings such as the owner’s tower, the manager’s tower, the factory, the Church, the Casino Theatre and the house of the women/school.
The Museum opened in 1995, and is part of the Regional Network of the Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya. A route is suggested for visitors that will show them the facilities of the workers' colony such as the homes, the school, the library, the fishmonger, the washroom or the showers. The visit also includes a permanent exhibition which tells the story of the daily life of men and women who worked at the factory.
La Devesa in Girona is the largest urban park in the Principality. With more than 2,500 one hundred year old trees, the main lung of the city is a site dedicated to recreation where nature is manifested in all its splendour.
Long rows of plane trees fill the 40 hectares of the Park. Their distribution creates genuine avenues and botanic walks at the confluence of the rivers Güell, Ter and Onyar, to the west of the historic centre of the city. The trees of this green oasis are hybrids of American and Eastern species, most planted in 1850. The short distance between them has made them grow upright, reaching heights that are around 55-60 metres.
The site, in which all kinds of constructions have been built over the years, is arranged around several avenues. The entrance, from 1898, preserves one of the two twin lodges that welcomed visitors and in the Camp de Mart (the field of Mars) are the sports facilities built in 1942. Also within the Park of la Devesa are located shooting ranges and a model airplane field, the Felix Farró municipal football pitch, the facilities of the Girona Equestrian Society, the Fira de Girona area, the Girona Auditorium and the Congress Centre.
