Sant Pau del Camp

Sant Pau del Camp is a church and former monastery in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of
the best preserved Roman buildings in Barcelona.

Since the early times of the foundation of Barcino (the ancient name for Barcelona), an urban
inhabited nucleus was formed. There was a vast, crop-oriented plain called El Camp, in the
Montjuic side, in the outskirts of the city.

While the monastery Sant Pau del Camp now stands within the El Raval district in central
Barcelona, until the 14th century, it stood outside the city. Given its rural location, the church was
named Sant Pau de Camp.

The documentation about monastery of Sant Pau del Camp is very limited. It was founded
between the years 897 to 911 by Earl Guifré Borell according to his gravestone found in January
1596, which at the moment is attached to the wall in the left arm on the church, under the
transept.

Since its foundation until the moment of being looted by Al-Mansurs's troops, which was suffered
in the year 985, there are no written documents about it. The monastery remained as a simple
church, which didn't shelter any community onto his second foundation.

The nobles Geribert Guitard and his wife Rotlandis, founders of the Bell-loc's House, took charge
of the reconstructing the monastery unified it to the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallés in order to
make possible the constitution of a new monastic community.

The same nobles set up the monastery as a donation under the protection and tutelage of the
Holy See, fact that allowed the monastery to act with complete autonomy. By the 13th, a new
cloister, church and monastic quarters were built.

In the 13th-century, it didn't depend any longer on the city of Sant Cugat. The last general chapter
of the two ecclesiastic provinces of Tarragona and Zaragoza was held in Sant Pau in in 1940. It
joined Montserrat in 1508, and afterwards in 1593, it was reunited to Sant Cugan, to become
finally in 1617 dependent on the Monastery of Portella del Bergueda. The monks had abandoned
the monastery in 1835 due to secularisation.

In 1876 it was declared National Monument.

The cloister

The cloister was built and attached to Sant Pau del Camp in the XIII century. It provided a lot of
light in monks’ world and separated it from outside. Even though size of cloister is small it
remains as an impressive example of Romanesque architecture of medieval ages. It has a
square-shaped patio enclosed by gallery. Arches represent the most important part of the
monastery from a monumental point of view due to their unique shape, which is well-known
feature of Moorish architecture.

The arches are polylobulates, we find three and five lobes, decorated with geometric or with
various objects, and rest on very simple geminated columns. The bases are simple and two of
them are decorated with plant motifs as if it were inverted capitals.

Arches are supported by double columns with 48 charming capitals. Although some of them are
duplicated, they represent a lot of different motives. There are capitals which belong to Corinthian
style because they have acanthus leaves with ease of movements. Many of them are simply
smooth down.

Other capitals are with zonorphic representations, fantastic animals, and plant motifs, which
represent Romanesque style. Some are historiated representations, such as the expulsion of the
Paradise of Adam and Eve, or figured like sirens, wrestling warriors with lions or monsters, and
the sufferings of the gilded woman.

different motifs on the column capitals leaf and plant motifs

motif of a rider on the horse hunting a deer

mystical creatures motifs

geometric motifs
Around the cloister there are tombs, two of them belong to the family of the counts of Bell-place.

Comparison
Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Santo Domingo
de Silos in the southern part of Burgos Province in northern Spain.

The monastery is named after the eleventh-century saint Dominic of Silos.

The monastery dates back to the Visigothic period of the 7th century. In the 10th century, the
abbey was called San Sebastián de Silos, but acquired its current name when Santo
Domingo was entrusted to renovate the abbey by Fernando the Great, King of Castile and León.
The abbot designed the church to have a central nave with two side aisles and five chapels
attached to its apse and transept. When Santo Domingo died in 1073, work on the church and the
cloister was handed over to Abbot Fortunius, who saw the rest of the construction to its
completion. The church was subsequently rebuilt by the neoclassical architect Ventura Rodríguez.

In 1835 the abbey of Silos was closed, along with other monasteries in Spain. Benedictine monks
from Solesmes in France revived the foundation in 1880.

Sant Pau del Camp Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos

Location: Barcelona Location: Santo Domingo de Silos

Cloister built in: 13th century Cloister built in: 11-12th century

Cloister is located only on the ground - level of Cloister consists of two parts. The additional one
the church was built on the first floor.

Cloister/church style: romanesque

Cloister is square shaped.

The arches are polylobulates, we find three The cloisters are the only surviving part of the
and five lobes, decorated with geometric or monastery that hasn't changed since its
with various objects, and rest on very simple inception. The cloister is an angled rectangular
geminated columns. The bases are simple and shape with 16 semi-circular arches on the north
two of them are decorated with plant motifs as and south sides and 14 semi-circular arches on
if it were inverted capitals.
the west and east sides.

Arches are supported by double columns with

The organisation of the cloister consists big pier The organisation of the cloister consists of four
at each corner. These piers are decorated with 4 squared-off piers at each corner and paired
attached columns. The columns which are columns running along each of the arcades. The
running along sides of the cloister are paired. arcades are mounted atop a podium that extends
along each side of the cloister. Each of the sides
of the cloister has a grouping of four columns
located at the center of the arcade. The six-foot-
tall piers have medium-relief sculptural biblical
scenes (Post-Passion which are the Three Marys
Discovering Jesus Christ is Gone, and others).
Originally, these religious scenes were painted in
bright colours. These pier carvings are dated to
the middle of the twelfth century and are the
work of the sculptor of the lower story capitals.
Each column has its own capital. The capitals of The paired columns along each side of the
the columns represent a lot of different motives, cloister each share a capital. Each capital’s

although some of these motifs are repeating. decoration is unique, and they contain a variety
There are capitals which belong to Corinthian of animals, foliage or an abstract design. Due to
style because they have acanthus leaves with the later date of their creation, the capitals on the
ease of movements. Many of them are simply second story of the cloister depict narrative
smooth down. Other capitals are with zonorphic scenes. All of the east gallery’s capitals and
representations, fantastic animals, and plant most of the capitals in the north gallery were
motifs, which represent Romanesque style. carved by the same sculptural workshop. One of
Some are historiated representations, such as the unique characteristics of this cloister are
the expulsion of the Paradise of Adam and Eve, twisted columns.
or figured like sirens, wrestling warriors with lions
or
monsters, and the sufferings of the gilded
woman.

Abbey of Santo
Domingo de Silos