The Art Nouveau Site of Sant Pau, including its Hypostyle Hall, is an architectural jewel of Catalan Modernism. I arrive here on a cool November morning. I have walked from my Barcelona accommodation near Las Ramblas not really knowing what to expect. I’m both awed and inspired by what I find.
Sant Pau
Built between 1902 and 1930, Sant Pau was home to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau from 1916 to 2009.
The project was conceived as a city within the city, an exceptional demonstration of the creative genius of Lluis Domènech i Montaner. Montaner is remembered as one of the great European architects. This Art Nouveau Site, which served Barcelona as an innovative, cutting edge hospital, is today a knowledge centre that hosts equally innovative institutions.
The Hypostyle Hall
The Sant Pau Hypostyle (Hipostila) Hall presents as a maze large and imposing columns which support the weight of the main Administration building.
The building itself housed many different activities during its time, including the hospital’s administration services, medical archives and library. However the Hypostyle Hall below was originally conceived as a distribution space. It gives access to the underground galleries connecting all the different pavilions of the hospital. It is even built big enough to have allowed carriages in and out of the complex, when necessary.
Brick arches connect the hall’s giant columns and feature ceramic decorations. These support vaults clad with white ceramic tile. Given the original use as an area of transit, a space for loading and unloading, the materials are both decorative and practical. The ceramic tiles are easy to clean while the stone, iron, glass and brick, are particularly affordable, austere materials that Montaner embellished to maintain aesthetics.
Despite its original use, the space also functioned as halls of residence for students of Medicine. In the 1960s it became the hospital’s casualty department and in the 1990’s the Emergency Department.
Restorations
Much of the recent restoration work is aimed at restoring Montaner’s original vision for the rooms’ volume and space. However, a number of elements have been adapted to new uses and more modern technology. For example, the floor has had geothermal technology installed.
There is some signage up as I walk around with pictures of the space as it appeared during it’s emergency department days and information about some of the architectural designs including the vaulted ceiling. This adds to the sense of history of the hospital but also to the vision that Montaner had in designing the space as well as the building that it holds up.
Good To Know
The Hypostyle Hall is part of the Sant Pau Art Nouveau complex.
The availability of tickets and guided tours is limited. I missed booking the guided tour and ended up with an audio guide. Hiring an audio guide is highly recommended. There is a lot of signage and, as it’s a large site, it may prove difficult to take in if you’re relying on reading everything. A guided tour would be even better.
Would I Return?
Yes. To Sant Pau, though not just for the Hypostyle Hall.
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