Barcelona

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Monestir de Pedralbes

Baixada del Monestir 9

In 1326 the widowed Queen Elisenda of Montcada used her inheritance to buy this land and build a convent for the ‘Poor Clare’ order of nuns, which she soon joined. The result is a jewel of Gothic architecture, with an understated single-nave church with fine stained-glass windows and a beautiful three-storey 14th-century cloister. The place was out of bounds to the general public until 1983 when the nuns, a closed order, opened it up as a museum in the mornings (they escape to a nearby annexe).

The site offers a fascinating insight into life in a medieval convent, taking you through its kitchens, pharmacy and refectory with its huge vaulted ceiling. To one side is the tiny chapel of Sant Miquel, with murals dating to 1343 by Ferrer Bassa, a Catalan painter and student of Giotto. In the former dormitory next to the cloister is a selection of hitherto undisplayed objects belonging to the nuns. Among them are illuminated books, furniture and objects reflecting the artistic and religious life of the community.

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