Barcelona City Council will spend €1,669,319 to renovate the historic Hospital de la Santa Creu on Carrer Hospital, in the Raval. The project will restore the Catalan Gothic complex where Antoni Gaudí died in 1926, and prepare it for a stronger cultural role in the city.
Gaudí was taken to the hospital after a tram hit him on 7 June 1926. He refused transfer to a private clinic and died three days later inside the building. The hospital closed months later that same year.
The Santa Creu was for centuries the largest hospital in Catalonia. Built between 1414 and 1926, it is now classed as a national historical-artistic monument and is one of the most important Catalan Gothic ensembles in Barcelona. King Martin the Humane began the project with the idea of a large hospital arranged around a courtyard, although only three naves were built, leaving the complex in a U-shape.
The site covers more than 12,000 square metres and now houses several institutions, including the Biblioteca de Catalunya, the Biblioteca Sant Pau-Santa Creu, the Universitat de Barcelona’s School of Library and Information Science, the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and the Real Academia de Farmacia de Catalunya. The Rubió i Lluch gardens are also part of the complex.
The City Council says the work is needed because the cloister and the Carrer Hospital facade have deteriorated. The plan includes cleaning the stone, reinforcing the arches, renewing architectural elements, removing non-original installations and damaged metal parts, and fully renovating the roofs. Community readers following local heritage projects may also want to see our coverage of other city restoration work.
Natur System, which has also worked on the Palau de la Música facade, won the public tender. Seven companies bid, and one was excluded for submitting an abnormally low budget it could not justify. The contract was formalised on 15 May, with six months for the cloister and seven months for the facade, so both parts are due to finish by the end of the year. The council also plans to expand the Escola Massana by rehabilitating the former nursery building, a 740-square-metre property across four floors. For more on city projects, see our Barcelona news tag.
The renovation is the first step in turning the complex into a cultural hub for the Raval. It also keeps one of Barcelona’s most important historic buildings in use, while protecting a site that still matters to residents, students and visitors.
Originally published by Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life. Read original article.
