- Architecture
The Royal Monastery of St. Mary of Pedralbes is today a testament to the cultural heritage and unique history of the community of the religious order, which has inhabited its grounds without interruption through the present day.
Metro: L3 (Green) - Maria Cristina & Palau Reial
FGC (Ferrocarrils): L12 - Reina Elisenda
Bus: H4, 63,68 & 78
The building itself constitutes one of the best standing examples of Catalonian Gothic architecture, not only in the design of the church but also in the three-story cloisters, one of the most spacious and harmonious displays of this style anyway. The church interior houses the tomb of the Queen Elisenda, which auspiciously has two sides: one that faces the church, showing her image in the dress of a proper sovereign, and the other looking onto the cloisters, where we see her as a widow and penitent. Other noteworthy elements on site are the 14th century stained-glass windows, the various tombs of noble families, and the three church choirs: high, low, and central, for the friars.
Inside the monastery you can see the living quarters where the members of the order once slept. Your visit is not complete without a tour of St. Michael’s Chapel, commissioned in 1343, and stops at the Chapter House, the Abbey Room, the Refectory, the Kitchen, the Storeroom, the Dormitory, and the Infirmary.
