Monestir de Pedralbes stop
The spectacular district of Pedralbes is a residential zone, located far from the cacophonous centre in the upper part of the city, that is surrounded by gardens and dominated by the Monastery of Pedralbes, a gem of Catalan Gothic art from the 14th century with an imposing three-tier cloister.
A spectacular Gothic convent in a district full of mansions
The Monestir de Pedralbes stop on the Blue Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic is in the Pedralbes district, specifically on Carrer del Bisbe Català, at the entrance to the Museum-Monastery of Pedralbes complex, which was founded by Queen Elisenda of Montcada in 1326 and is still home, in one of its wings, to a small community of nuns from the order of Saint Clare. The monastery is a construction from the 14th century, whose main feature is the beauty of its impressive central cloister, one of Barcelona’s best-kept medieval secrets and one of the best examples of Catalan Gothic architecture.
At the museum-monastery complex you can also see the tomb of Elisenda of Montcada, the queen consort of the Crown of Aragon; a cell painted by Ferrer Bassa, one of the first exponents of the Italian pictorial school in Barcelona; and the single-naved church of Pedralbes.
What to see
Royal Monastery of Santa Maria of PedralbesFounded by Queen Elisenda of Montcada, the wife of King James II of Aragon, in 1326, the monastery is one of the best examples of Catalan Gothic architecture and its three-storey cloister is the city’s most splendid.