Famous mainly for its impressive Romanesque cloister, the Monestir de Sant Cugat (Monastery of Sant Cugat), run by the Benedictine order, contains pre-Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance elements.
Constructed between the 9th and 14th centuries, the church features the classic basilica plan of three naves and three apses, which are based on the remains of a Roman castrum. The temple is characterised by the sobriety of the Romanesque period in the lack of decoration and low light, and the Gothic grandeur thanks to the thirteenth century dome: an eight-sided tower with large windows.
The prosperity of the twelfth century led to the construction of the first floor of the cloister, consisting of long galleries with arches that rest on pillars and several pairs of columns. However, the most eye-catching feature for visitors must be the 144 Romanesque capitals.
Made with stones from Montjuïc, they were carved between the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries and feature something completely unusual: the author's signature. As such, we know that the sculptor, Arnau Cadell, made a self-portrait on a Corinthian capital and wrote in Latin: "This is the image of Arnau Cadell, sculptor, who built this cloister for posterity".
El poder dels monjos de l’orde de Sant Bruno, establert a Escaladei des del segle XII, era tan important que van arribar a posar el nom de tot el comtat: el Priorat . De l’antiga esplendor només es conserven les ruïnes de la cartoixa Santa Maria d’Escaladei , la primera de les que es van construir després a tota la península Ibèrica.
El monestir d'Escaladei va ser fundat el 1163 per petició del rei Alfons I la casta, amb la intenció de colonitzar i cristianitzar la Nova Catalunya dels musulmans. El lloc escollit va ser la Vall d’Oliver, als peus de la serra del Montsant, on consta la llegenda que un pastor havia somiat amb els àngels que ascendien al cel per una escala: Escaladei, l’escala de Déu .
Al sòl rocós de la zona es va estendre el conreu de vinyes i olives per a l’oli , dos elements que van permetre la revitalització comercial de tota la regió. El moment de major esplendor va començar al segle XVI, quan va ser el focus de l’inici del renaixement a Catalunya i va durar fins al segle XVIII, aquests tres segles, el complex monàstic s’amplia fins a la seva configuració final.
Actualment, es conserven les estructures de l’antic complex cartoixà d’Escaladei, ara com una ruïna romàntica. La visita permet fer un recorregut exterior dels 3 claustres (un d’ells reconstruït), l’Església, el refectori i una cel·la reconstruïda. Són les restes de 600 anys d’història d’ un dels monestirs medievals i moderns més importants de Catalunya .
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.
In 1900, the businessman Eusebio Guell commissioned Antonio Gaudi with a building consisting of 60 single-family homes for affluent families on the outskirts of Barcelona. Despite the project's modernity, it was a commercial failure that forced its promoters to close it in 1914. It is currently one of the most important public parks in Barcelona.
Gaudí experimented with architectural forms closely resembling the landscape and nature . The chosen site, with almost no vegetation, was stony and with significant ground irregularities. Gaudí took advantage of these characteristics by creating winding paths and using materials from the area, such as stones, to build covered spaces and porches supported with sloping columns.
Perhaps the most spectacular part of the park is a double set of steps with a central fountain in the shape of a dragon , all of which is covered in colourful "trencadís" mosaic (by the architect Josep Maria Jujol). The double set of steps leads to a large covered area that projects outwards like a large market, and is supported by 86 majestic Doric columns. The ceiling is adorned with colourful medallions. Above this area there is a large square, bordered by a long bench that defines an original meandering path.
The house that was built as a model of the dwellings of the future housing estate, and that was called Torre Rosa in reference to the Virgin of the Rosary, was inhabited by Antoni Gaudí himself from 1906 to 1925.
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.
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 Torre Glòries (The Glòries Tower), a modern office building located at the entrance of the 22@ (the technological district of Barcelona), has altered the city’s skyline since 2005. It is the work of French architect Jean Nouvel, who is inspired by the images of a geyser, the architecture of Gaudí and the mountain of Montserrat. A contemporary lighthouse that attracts the interest of locals and tourists in equal measure.
Rising from two elliptical, concrete cylinders, one inside the other, the Torre Agbar measures 142 metres high and is covered by two "skins". The innermost is an aluminium plate painted with earth tones, blues, greens and greys. The outermost is a transparent and translucent wall made up of nearly 60,000 sheets of glass. Thanks to this double façade an air chamber is created that allows the heating of the building to be delivered and provide ventilation. The glass used are pieces of a brie-soleil, a system that controls the sun's rays depending on the outside temperature.
These characteristics make the Torre Agbar an original, intelligent and sustainable building, the three principles on which Nouvel’s project is based. It is especially notable on weekend nights, when 4,500 points of LED light (the most efficient and least polluting system) illuminate the façade with colour.
Symbol of the city, the Cathedral of Girona is an imposing building, located on the highest point in the town and with a unique feature: its single nave is the second largest in the world (only surpassed by St. Peter's in the Vatican). But the temple hides many treasures beyond its dimensions. At the top of a spectacular staircase with 90 steps there is a compendium of 5 centuries of history.
Romanesque feet, Gothic body and Baroque face. This is the current appearance of the Cathedral of Girona. The Tower of Charlemagne, the cloister and sacristy are the only things left of the first Romanesque building from the mid-11th century. The cloister is one of the most important in Catalonia thanks to its sculptural wealth.
The church, of huge dimensions, was built between the 14th and 18th centuries and was dedicated to Santa Maria. The first stone of the facade of the Cathedral was placed in 1606, but it was not finished until well into the 20th century. The dilation in time means that the structure is between Baroque and Classical.
Attached to the Church we find the Cathedral Treasury with two notable pieces of great artistic value: the Tapestry of the Creation (one of the few examples of Romanesque textiles) and the Beatus de Girona (a 10th-century copy of the Commentary on the Apocalypse made by the Blessed of Liébana, with more than 100 full page miniatures).
The Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona is located in the Parc del Fòrum. Built by the architects Herzog and de Meuron in 2004, the museum occupies 9,000 m2 and is considered, architecturally, to be one of the most iconic buildings in the city.
In the entrance hall is the most emblematic piece on display in the museum, the skeleton of a whale that was found on a beach in Llançà in 1862. By popular vote, it was named Brava.
The narrative of the permanent exhibition is the interpretation of the present-day Earth as the result of the interaction between the planet’s chemical and physical environment and living beings. All this is shown in an educational way and through tactile screens and display cases with the museum’s collection – fossils, naturalised animals, plants, algae, rocks and minerals. There are also areas dedicated to fungi and the microscopic world, including the reproduction of viruses and microbes. A total of 4,500 of the over 4 million pieces the museum owns are exhibited.
The Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona is an institution with over 140 years of history. It started off with the legacy of the collections of the naturalist Francesc Martorell i Peña. In addition to the Fòrum building, the Museum has other sites located in different parts of the city: the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Garden of Barcelona) and the Jardí Botànic Històric (Historical Botanical Garden), situated on Montjuic, the Centre Martorell (Martorell Exhibitions Centre), and the Castell dels Tres Dragons in the Parc de la Ciutadella.
The home of the industrialist chocolatier Antoni Amatller is one of the greatest examples of the Catalan modernist architecture and one of the few that still have the ornamental richness of this style promoted by the bourgeoisie. Located on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, it is the work of the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch who was commissioned to remodel the building, acquired by the industrialist, from head to foot.
The Casa Amatller stands out for the composition of the façade and for the restructuring and redecoration of the ground floor and the main floor, a reflection of the originality of the modernista architecture and decorative arts. The façade is a colourful composition that incorporates sgraffito on a white base, ochre and red ochre, glazed tiles, green woodwork, black wrought iron and grey stone from Montjuïc. In addition, there is unique sculptural decoration, notable for the relief of St. George and the Dragon, designed by Eusebi Arnau. The tiered gable at the top of the façade is reminiscent of the classic shape of a tablet of chocolate and is one of the most characteristic features of the building. Inside, one must admire the antique furniture, the columns, the floor, the ceilings and the lamps, original decoration of the residence.
Currently, the Casa Amatller is home to the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art. It has about 400 objects of Roman, Medieval, Baroque and Modernista periods. But above all it is noted for its documentary resources. It maintains a large photo library specialising in Hispanic art, with about 350,000 items illustrating and cataloguing the works of art. Its consultation is essential for any researcher in the history of the art.
