Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, Barcelona

Sant Pau Recinte Modernista is a former hospital complex, and the pavilions around you now form a cultural site. Lluís Domènech i Montaner created the main design, while his son Pere Domènech i Roura continued the work. Construction unfolded from 1901 to 1930, producing a group of buildings linked by underground passages and set within landscaped grounds.

Look at the ceramic surfaces, exposed brick, and carved figures: decoration here is not a thin finish, but a major part of the architecture. The ornament draws on religious and historical imagery, with ceramic used for both visual richness and hygienic purposes. The complex belongs to Catalan modernisme, and its scale, ornament, and preservation have made it the largest modernista complex in Catalonia.

It served as a working hospital until 2009, then restoration prepared it for museum and cultural use; visitors returned in 2014. UNESCO included Sant Pau among its World Heritage sites in 1997. The name honours both Saint Paul and the banker Pau Gil, whose legacy funded the new hospital. The result is a place where medical history survives inside an unusually elaborate architectural ensemble.