The history of the Hospital de Santa Creu i de Sant Pau starts in the 11th century as pilgrim's hospice in the district of El Raval. The “Hospital de la Santa Creu” was created in 1401 by the joining of six smaller houses. In the 19th century, a new construction was necessary due to the constant growth of the city and the growing medical requirements.

The funds came from the legacy of the Catalan banker Pau Gil, who mandated the new construction of a hospital in his will. Construction works could thus be started in 1902. From then on, the hospital took the name “Hospital de Santa Creu i de Sant Pau” to honor its benefactor.

The Hospital de Santa Creu i de Sant Pau is in the northern part of Barcelona in the district of the Eixample . The old hospital in El Raval in which Gaudí died in 1926 is nowadays the home of the medical faculty and the Catalan State Library.

With the construction of the hospital form 1902 to 1912, the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner achieved a masterpiece – a specially human and in no ways sterile building that nonetheless met the highest medical standards. The hospital take up one whole block, and the almost 30 buildings are situated in a park. The different pavilions have subterranean connections.

When stepping through the main entrance into the area of the Hospital de Santa Creu I Sant Pau, you come into the chapel-like administration building with a large dome roof in the impressive entrance hall. It is not a coincidence that the building resembles a church – it is to symbolize the Christian tradition.

Behind the administration building, you see the pavilion with the operation rooms. This pavilion is connected to all other pavilions via a tunnel system, so that patients can quickly be transferred to their rooms. The operation rooms are located below the three glass apses on the northern side of the pavilion.

At the end of the original area is the cloister pavilion. It was designed by Pere Domènech, the son of Lluis Domènech i Montaner. It consists of three parts, connected via small roofed pedestrian bridges. It contains the service areas of the hospital such as the kitchen, pharmacy and the sleeping quarters of the nuns working as nurses here.

A new construction, situated behind the cloister building, enhanced the old hospital.

You can get to the hospital de Santa Creu i de Sant Pau coming from the Sagrada Familia via the newly designed and embellished Avinguda de Gaudí or from the metro station Hospital de Sant Pau.

In 2001, the hospital de la Sante Creu i Sant Pau celebreated its 600th birthday, and since 1997, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Guided tours are offered after prior booking. The park is a beautiful place to rest.

Here you find the Hospital de Santa Creu i de Sant Pau on the city map in the district of the Eixample.