The Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes was founded in the beginning of the 14th century and is situated on a small hill called Sant pere Màrtir on an upper part of Barcelona. It contains numerous amounts of artifacts, religious items and furniture that the nuns collected throughout the years.

The monastery is build in Catalan gothic style and underwent little structural changes since her establishment. Because of that you can call the complex a quiet unique one. The Clare that lived there in 1983 are moved to an adjacent building because the monastery opened for the big public then.

Queen Elisenda was the last wife of king Jaume II. She acquired the ground in 1326 to build a monastery on it. When her husband died, the queen resigned and went to this nun community. She lived there in a neighboring building that was taken down after her dead like she demanded. Her tomb is in the corridor between the monastery and the church.

In the monastery people can see how the nun community lived there, you can see the kitchens, refectory, cells and hospital wards. Exceptional is the chapel of Sant Miguel where you can admire fresco’s of Ferrer Bassa, an artist who is considered to be the Catalan Giotto. Among others these painting are reflecting the suffering of Christ and the life of the Blessed Virgin. Because the nuns used this room to store their clothes for years, the fresco’s are protected against light, humidity and dust in order that they are in excellent condition.

The museum of the Monestir de Pedralbes accommodates paintings, ceramics, furniture, liturgical objects, fabrics, parchments, and a permanent collection of cribs. Until 2004 you could admire a part of baron Thyssen-Bornemisza’s collection here too. However in that year the artifacts were being transferred to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

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