Architecture

El castell-monestir d'Escornalbou a Riudecanyes és una peculiar mansió senyorial de principis del segle XX. Es va formar a partir de les restes de dos edificis medievals: el Monestir de Sant Miquel , fundat el 1153; i un castell , construït sobre les restes d'una fortalesa romana. El seu propietari, el diplomàtic, egiptòleg i filantrop Eduard Toda, va seguir la moda de l’època per convertir els edificis històrics en residències burgeses.
 
Durant més de sis segles, el complex va constituir la Baronia d'Escornalbou. Després de les desamortitzacions de Mendizábal (1835) va estar gairebé en ruïnes, fins a adquirir Toda el 1911. La restauració seguí una interpretació molt personal. Toda fins i tot va decidir ignorar les recomanacions i consells de Puig i Cadafalch. Així, es van enderrocar edificis, es van aixecar torres d’estil exòtic i medieval i es van convertir zones per satisfer les necessitats i gustos del propietari.
 
Els resultats encara són visibles avui: de l’ antic monestir , només es conserven l’església romànica, algunes restes de la Casa Capitular i l’estructura del claustre, que esdevingué un punt d’observació / jardí amb vistes al Camp de Tarragona. El castell va ser convertit en una casa senyorial i escenari de reunions de les figures més importants de la Renaixença catalana. Destaquen la biblioteca i la rica col·lecció d’estampes, ceràmiques, mobles i peces de la col·lecció que Toda havia recuperat dels seus viatges.

La fundació del Monestir o la Casa dels Cànons de Santa Maria de Vilabertran és un símbol del moviment de reforma de finals del segle XI que lluitava contra les imposicions de la noblesa en cites eclesiàstiques.
 
Amb aquesta postura, el clergue Pere Rigau pot reunir una comunitat de sacerdots que viuen a la casa annexa a l'Església de Santa Maria de Vilabertran. El 1080, el monestir, que segueix la regla de Sant Agustí, és fundar en terrenys donats per famílies de la zona. Avui és considerat una de les primeres comunitats d'oficines a Catalunya que, a més, va deixar el llegat als exemples més ben conservats d' arquitectura canònica medieval .
 
El complex arquitectònic, construït entre els segles XII i XIII, tenia un format inicial per a una claustre central que dona a les habitacions del monestir ia l’Església. L’església és l’element més destacable del complex, especialment la creu processional del seu interior, considerada la peça més gran d'obra eclesiàstica gòtica de Catalunya.
 
El posteriors és ampliar la casa canònica amb la capella funerària del Rocabertí (segle XIV), el palau abacial (segle XV) i el pati emmurallat (segle XVIII) que van portar els edificis exteriors dins del recinte.

Can you imagine being able to touch a chimney of the Pedrera, and a few steps further on, to admire the starry dome of the Palau Güell? And to be able to enter the workspace that Gaudí had in the Sagrada Familia? The Gaudí Centre in Reus is much more than a tribute from the municipality of Tarragona to one of its most illustrious and universally known sons. It is a modern and interactive museum that, since 2007, has set out to explain the life and work of the architect in an educational way.
 
The 1,200 square metres of exhibition space is divided into three levels that lays out a journey starting with who Gaudí was and the Reus of his birth, and finishing with the keys to his architectural language, passing through a space in which to discover his work along the way.
 
Technology is key to this museum project. And it is through technology that a complete sensory experience is created, using a combination of tactile models, immersive audiovisual projections and special effects such as mappings. Visitors can experience firsthand how Gaudí played with space, light, air and water in his buildings. And at the same time they can find out about the enigmas and the hidden and mysterious aspects of his architecture.
 
The Museum also exhibits a few original objects such as the only surviving handwritten notebook of Gaudí.

On the upper floor of the building of the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, is one of the key institutions in the cultural life of Catalonia in the 19th and early 20th century. The Real Academia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in Barcelona (Royal Academy of Fine Arts), was created in 1850 to oversee Catalan heritage and encourage the teaching of fine arts through the School of La Llotja. Now, no longer tied to its educational activities, it is focused on the dissemination of its art, archival and bibliographic collection.

Its art collection is made up of more than 700 paintings, 250 sculptures and various drawings and engravings by artists from the 16th century to the 20th century: from Annibale Carracci and Juan Ribalta to Modest Cuixart and Josep Maria Subirachs. Notable are the collections of drawings by Pau Milà i Fontanals and Lluís Rigalt. Above all, though, the Academy Museum offers a benchmark in Catalan art from the 18th-19th centuries, with paintings of Marià Fortuny and Ramon Martí Alsina, among others.

Many of the works come from the School of La Llotja. Others from convents and churches, or through donations or purchases. The bulk of the collection can be seen in the Llotja de Mar building, occupying the different rooms of the Academy, which have maintained their original appearance. Even so, some of its most outstanding pieces are on loan to the MNAC and other museums.

The Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi also has an important library and an archive that brings together documentary material relating to the fine arts as well as photography.

Nature and Modernisme. This is the pairing that defines the Colònia Güell. Standing among the pine trees is an architectural complex that still preserves the industrial essence of the late 19th and early 20th century and has a star name: Antoni Gaudí.

The colony was built in 1890 on land owned by Eusebi Güell at Santa Coloma de Cervello. The entrepreneur wanted to move the textile industries he owned at Vapor Vell Sants away from labour conflicts that were prevalent in Barcelona at that time.

The complex was structured around the factory, which was equipped with the most advanced technology of the time. As well as the homes of the workers, there were educational, cultural and religious facilities which together formed a "small town".

In addition, Eusebi Güell, a patron of Modernisme in Barcelona, made it unique by hiring some of the best architects of the time. His friend Antoni Gaudí led the project, taking charge of the mapping out the complex and of the Church, of which only the crypt was built (declared a World Heritage Site in 2005). The remainder of the buildings (the school, the cooperative, the parish house and the cultural centre, among others) were the work of Joan Rubió, Francesc Berenguer i Mestres and his son Francesc Berenguer i Bellvehí.

The complex made a display of innovations in construction at the time such as the use of 'trencadís' (mosaics of ceramic shards), iron work and brick. Special attention should be given to the facades of the teacher's house, Ca l’Espinal and Ca l’Ordal, which show that, despite being functional architecture, no detail was overlooked.

In the old district of Sant Joan de Sitges stands the architectural and artistic complex of Maricel, one of the most monumental examples of Noucentisme in Catalonia. It was built by Miquel Utrillo between 1910 and 1918, and had been commissioned by the American magnate Charles Deering, who established his residence here and used it to house his unique collection of Hispanic art.

After going through various uses, in 1970, art came back to the building. On the side facing the sea, the Maricel Museum was opened to display the art collection of Dr Jesús Pérez-Rosales: more than 3,000 Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque pieces, as well as pre-Columbian archaeology artefacts, oriental art, musical instruments, textiles and folk craft.

Today this collection is integrated into the Sitges Art Collection, along with other acquisitions, creating a complete and varied tour through the history of art, from the 10th century to the first half of the 20th century.

Particularly notable are the rooms dedicated to Romanticism (Marià Fortuny), to Noucentisme (Joaquim Sunyer, Pere Jou, Lola Anglada, Enric Casanovas, Ismael Smith, Pau Gargallo) and especially to Modernisme (Santiago Rusiñol, Ramon Casas, Josep Llimona), which has a close connection to Sitges. There is even a room displaying paintings that once decorated the Cau Ferrat Brewery.

One can’t leave the Museum without going through the Sert Room, with its large murals from 1915 dedicated to the First World War.

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria de Mataró is one of the most important examples of the religious Catalan Baroque: the Chapel of Els Dolors (the sorrows), preserved in its original state. It was built between the 17th and 18th centuries and was completed between 1722 and 1737, with frescos, oils, canvases and sculptural elements created by Antoni Viladomat.

The six great canvases on the side walls of the Chapel of Els Dolors are the stations of the cross combine with scenes of the Crown of Thorns (Corona Dolorosa).

The Barcelona artist was also responsible for the other elements in the Els Dolors complex: the Sacristy, the Crypt and the meeting room. The latter is an octagonal Chamber completely covered with paintings by Viladomat highlighting the Apostles and Evangelists. The entire complex is characterised by its drama and theatricality.

El convent de Sant Bartomeu de Bellpuig ofereix un gran exemple de la transició del gòtic tardà al renaixement . Al mateix temps, ofereix una visió de com l'individu buscava la transcendència del seu poder i honor més enllà de la mort.

Ramon Folc de Cardona-Anglesola, baró de Bellpuig i virrei a Nàpols i Sicília, volia un escenari solemne per al seu mausoleu . Per això, el 1507, va patrocinar la construcció d’un convent franciscà a la part superior de l’antiga capella de Sant Bartomeu. D’aquí que, en la decoració, hi ha un notable contrast entre l’austeritat franciscana i la noble esplendor que aporta el mecenatge de la família.

L’edifici, de forma rectangular, s’organitza al voltant de dos claustres. Al més petit dels dos hi ha un element amb un gran valor artístic: la galeria del primer pis, formada per deu columnes en espiral. Cal destacar l'escala de cargol del campanar, l'escala principal, la sala capitular i el mirador del Duc (mirada del duc).

Tot i així, l’element més monumental va ser el mausoleu del baró de Bellpuig , inicialment allotjat dins de l’Església però que ara es pot veure a l’església parroquial. Va ser creat el 1524 a partir de marbre de carrara per l'escultor napolità Giovanni Merliano da Nola. Té l'estructura d'un arc triomfal i va acompanyat de motius al·legòrics en referència a la personalitat del difunt. Per la seva qualitat, és una de les millors obres renaixentistes de Catalunya. 

An imposing building next the River Ebro is a testament from the 14th century to the history of Tortosa. The Cathedral of Santa Maria, together with the Castle of La Suda and the Royal Colleges, forms the most notable architectural complex in the city.

Standing on the same spot as had previously been a Roman forum, a mosque and a Romanesque cathedral, is the current Cathedral of Santa Maria, whose construction began in 1347 following the classic Gothic style. Nevertheless, it includes later elements such as the Baroque façade completed in 1757.

Most notable is the central nave and cloister, with a major exhibition of carved gravestones, and the chapel of La Mare de Déu de la Cinta, in the Baroque style.

At the same time, one cannot ignore the rich sculptural and pictorial heritage of the Cathedral of Tortosa, starting with the altarpiece of Mare de Déu de l’Estrella (Virgin of the Star - 14th century) which presides over the main altar. Other Gothic altarpieces have occupied the walls of the Basilica such as the Virgin of the Angels, by Pere Serra (currently in the MNAC), or that of the Transfiguration, attributed to the workshop of Jaume Huguet.

The latter is one of the star exhibits of the Cathedral Museum, which displays nearly 200 pieces of religious art accumulated over nine centuries. Here you can see paintings, sculptures, tapestries, objects in precious metals and a valuable collection of codices.

Manresa is inevitably associated with the stunning image of the Collegiate Basilica of Santa Maria at the top of the Puigcardener hill. Popularly known as La Seu, it is considered one of the main Catalan Gothic buildings.

Its elevated location was, successively, the site of an Iberian settlement, a Roman fortress and a Romanesque church. The construction of the current building began in 1322 under the direction of the same architect as that of Santa Maria del Mar, Berenguer de Montagut, and was completed at the end of the 15th century with the Gothic as the predominant style. However, after later alterations, we also find Baroque Renaissance elements or even neo-Gothic, as in the façade of the Baptistery.

The most notable elements of La Seu are the impressive rose window of the western façade, the bell tower and the crypt with a large marble tabernacle and eight Baroque medallions. Laterally, it has two protruding towers: one, the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament; and the other the Baptistery, with an octagonal plan.

Inside, its pictorial collection stands out, notable among which is the altarpiece of the Holy Spirit by Pere Serra, one of the most important works of Catalan painting of the 14th century.

Over the main façade of the building is the Historical Museum of La Seu, opened in 1934, which exhibits a large display of works of sacred art.