Hospital de Sant Pau

Domenech i Montaner designed Sant Pau from 1902 as a replacement for a medieval hospital, and he rejected the corridor block in favour of separate pavilions for different conditions, set at angles across nine city blocks in gardens, connected by underground tunnels for staff and supplies, on the reasoning that isolation limited infection and that surroundings affected recovery. The pavilions are covered in mosaic, sculpture and ceramic, with domed and vaulted interiors in coloured tile that look nothing like hospital wards. It functioned as a hospital until 2009, when clinical services moved to a modern building alongside, and the complex was restored and opened to visitors from 2014. UNESCO listed it with the Palau in 1997.

What you actually see

• The pavilion layout - separate buildings set at angles across nine blocks.
• The tiled interiors - vaulted wards in coloured ceramic and mosaic.
• The service tunnels - underground connections between the pavilions.
• The gardens - planted grounds designed as part of the treatment.

When to go

Year-round; the complex is largely outdoors between buildings, so dry weather helps. It is far less crowded than the Gaudi sites and rarely requires advance booking except at weekends.

Honest expectations

Only some pavilions are open, with others used as offices and institutions. The site is large and involves considerable walking outdoors. The modern hospital alongside is visible and unattractive.

Nearby

The Sagrada Familia is a fifteen-minute walk down the avenue; the Eixample grid surrounds it.