Monastery of Pedralbes

The monastery of Pedralbes, is one of the finest examples of Catalan Gothic in Barcelona. The building from the early 14th century shows the everyday life of nuns. Religious art from the 14th to the 20th century is displayed in the monastery museum.
Highlights are the three-storey cloister and the gardens inside the monastery.

The picture below is of a "day cell" or what we would think of as a prayer room.

The monastery was founded by Queen Elisenda de Montcada. Her husband, King Jacob II (Jaume II), supported her and dedicated the monastery to Holy Mary. Ever since, it has been administered by the nuns of the Order of Saint Clare.

The construction work of the monastery started in March 1326. Queen Elisenda chose its location in the village of Sarrià, which back then was far out of the city of Barcelona. The name "Pedralbes" derives from the Latin Petras Albas (white stones), a white stone is the cornerstone of the apsis. On May 3, 1327 the nuns moved into the monastery. Since the monastery was built in just one year, it was not influenced by any other architectural styles and is a fine example of particularly homogeneous gothic architecture in Catalonia.
It was not before the 15th century that the third and lowest storey was added to the cloister.

In 1212, Clare of Assisi joined Francis of Assisi's Dominican Order and soon founded the Order of Saint Clare, later also dubbed the "Second Order" of the Franciscans.
The Order of Saint Clare still administers the monastery. Today, the nuns live in a more modern annex but are still here.

I think this was my favorite place to visit. We were both amazed at the repair such an old building could be in. It was peaceful and I felt almost sacred feeling. It was also remarkably clean!

On the way out, I was admiring these old windows and noticed a pair of pigeons nesting.

The cobblestone streets leading back to the Monastery were just enchanting!

Do you realize how OLD this is?!?! I mean, like over 100 years before Columbus sailed. I love old windows and doors and there was plenty of both here! Wow!

The history is amazing! Even though it's not our history, in a very real way it is ours--think Columbus!