BARCELONA: SANT MIQUEL DEL FAI

The medieval abbey of Sant Miquel del Fai, 50 km from Barcelona, contains the only romanesque chapel in Catalonia to have been built inside a grotto. The gravity-defying ensemble, which nestles among the rocks, is imbued with mystical beauty.

Medieval abbey of Sant Miquel del Fai

The abbey of Sant Miquel del Fai stands in a leafy valley, the vall del Tenes, among rocky outcrops and waterfalls which are more than 100 m high. 

Impressive waterfall in Sant Miquel del Fai

The visit begins in the unusual square in front of the Abbey which is cut into the mountainside. The square affords views of the small lakes formed by rainwater and melting ice. The gothic-style Priory House (15th century) stands on the other side of the square, and is now used as an exhibition gallery and restaurant.

As you go along the rocky gallery which used to be part of the cloister, you come to the romanesque chapel of Sant Miquel (10th century). Built inside a grotto, next to a waterfall.

The path continues to a small lake hidden among the rocks, passes below a spectacular waterfall, and ends at the chapel of Sant Martí (10th century) which stands in the middle of an esplanade. At the end of the tour, you’ll be given a helmet to visit the mysterious cave of "Les Tosques".

This is the route to discover the beautiful places of Sant Miquel del Fai:

• Romanesque bridge
• Abbey Square
• Abbey
• Romanesque church
• Cave of Sant Miquel
• Waterfall
• Sant Martí Chapel
• Cave of  "Les Tosques"
• Picnic area
• Playgroung
• Sant Miquel del Fai overview

And next I would like to show you some of the pictures I took in this fantastic environment.

Romanesque bridge

This romanesque bridge is the entrance to Sant Miquel del Fai

Here you have the route you can do in Sant Miquel del Fai with the interesting places you can visit

Abbey Square

The gothic-style Priory House (15th century) in Abbey Square

The staircase on the right leads to a terrace where you can enjoy wonderful views of the entire valley of Tenes

Abbey

Another view of the Priory house in Sant Miquel del Fai

Pond beside the Priory house. From the terrace you can see in this picture you can enjoy fantastic views of the valley of Tenes

Romanesque church

Entrance to the Romanesque church of Sant Miquel, the only one in Catalonia built inside a grotto 

Bell tower of the Romanesque church of Sant Miquel

Inside the romanesque church of Sant Miquel. As you can see, the cave is the roof

Sant Miquel Cave

A flight of steps leads to the cave of Sant Miquel, where the calcareous rocks have formed stalagmites and stalactites

Along this path you can walk from one place of interest to the next one

Waterfall

Spectacular waterfall in Sant Miquel del Fai

  

Sant Martí Chapel

The chapel of Sant Martí (10th century) stands in the middle of an esplanade next to the Cave of "Les Tosques"

Cave of "Les Tosques"

You’ll be given a helmet to visit the mysterious cave of "Les Tosques"

Inside the cave of "Les Tosques". You must walk carefully inside this cave to avoid accidents

Picnic area

At the end of the path there is a picnic area and a bar, which opens on sunday, where you can have lunch

Playgroung

And beside the picnic area children can enjoy this playground

Sant Miquel del Fai overview

Finally, a last view of Sant Miquel del Fai, a really beautiful environment

If you liked the medieval abbey of Sant Miquel del Fai, maybe you will also interested in visiting other beautiful monasteries and abbeys in Catalunya, like:

• Ripoll Monastery (9th century)
• Montserrat Abbey (9th century)
• Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery in Camprodon (9th century)
• Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery in La Costa Brava (10th century)
• Sant Pere Monastery in Besalú (10th century)
• Poblet Monastery (12th century)
• Santes Creus Monastery (12th century)
• Vallbona de les Monges Monastery (12th century)
• Sant Pere de Galligants Monastery in Girona (12th century)
• Pedralbes Monastery in Barcelona (14th century)
• Sant Cugat Monastery

Near the city of Barcelona you can also visit:

• Montserrat Abbey
• Sant Miquel del Fai Abbey
• Sant Pol de Mar

Besides, I would like to give you some useful information in case you want to go to Sant Miquel del Fai. I recommend visiting it on sunday because there is a guided visit at 12pm.

• Address: Espai Natural de Sant Miquel del Fai
• Phone: 938 658 008 / 938 658 025
• How to arrive:  Sagalès coaches from Estació del Nord in Barcelona.
• Web: www.santmiqueldelfai.net

Finally, clicking on the next link you will find links to other beautiful places in Catalonia, among them, more interesting medieval monasteries and villages.

BARCELONA: VILA DE GRACIA

Last weekend I enjoyed a route along La Vila de Gràcia, a district in Barcelona which was an independent village until the early twentieth century. Because of that this area of Barcelona has its own personality with a lot of lovely squares connected by narrow and peaceful streets. 

Plaça del Diamant, probably the most popular square in Gràcia

The atmosphere in Gràcia is really quiet during the day but it becomes incredibly lively at night, especially at weekends. La Festa Major de Gràcia, which is held for one week from the 15th of August, is actually one of the most popular ones in Barcelona.

Although the origins of this celebration in the nineteenth century is fairly recent, it has grown in importance and now is well known because of the colorful decoration of the streets. The Festa Major de Gràcia receives an annual influx of hundreds of thousands of people from all over Catalonia looking for fun with the lively atmosphere day and night.

Besides, Gràcia has always had an active social and political life and a rich fabric of civic, cultural, artistic and sporting institutions.

The most interesting places you will see along this route are the following ones:

• Casa Vicens (designed by Antoni Gaudí)
• Plaça del Diamant
• Carrer Verdi
• Plaça de la Virreina
• Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1858
• Plaça del Sol
• Plaça de la Vila
• Casa Fuster (a fantastic modernist building)

Casa Vicens

Nice look of the fence of Casa Vicens, designed by the brilliant Antoni Gaudí, located in Carolines street, in Gràcia district

A detail of the iron gate of Casa Vicens, which imitates the shape of Bargalló leaves, a common plant in Gràcia

Casa Vicens is structured in four levels or floors: a basement to be used as a cellar, two floors for housing and a loft for the service. The extensive use of ceramics in the facade gives the building a colorful look, one of the essential features of this modernist building

 

Balconies and window railings of Casa Vicens were carefully designed by Antoni Gaudí

  

Plaça del Diamant

In Plaça del Diamant there are always children playing soccer. Under this square a bunker of the Spanish Civil war can be visited

Carrer Verdi

Carrer Verdi is a typical and emblematic pedestrian street in Gràcia. Here, as you can see in this picture on the left, you can find the Verdi cinema, where you can watch films in original version

Plaça de la Virreina

Plaça de la Virreina, being in the center of Gràcia district, is usually quite busy and some sunday mornings markets are organized where you can find for sale almost any imaginable second hand item, usually handicraftsman

Main entrance to Sant Joan church behind Font de Ruth sculpture in Plaça de la Virreina

Sant Joan church in Plaça de la Virreina

Balconies of wrought iron of a modernist building located next to Plaça de la Virreina

Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1858

Under Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1858 in Gràcia I could visit another bunker of the Spanish Civil War

Plaça del Sol

Plaça del Sol is another lovely square in Gràcia

 

Squares in Gràcia, like Plaça del Sol, are fantastic places for a drink 

Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia

Main facade of the city hall of Gràcia district, located in Plaça de la Vila

Clock tower in Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia

Casa Fuster

 

Casa Fuster is a modernist building designed by Lluís Domenech i Montaner between 1908 and 1910. It is located on Passeig de Gràcia, next to Avinguda Diagonal. It was converted into a luxury hotel in 2004

A detail of the white facade of Casa Fuster, made of marble

If you liked this route, I suggest you more routes you can do in Barcelona:

• Marina and beach route
• Modernist route
• Raval route
• Montjuïc route
• Shopping route in Passeig de Gràcia

Finally, clicking on the next link you will find links to other beautiful places in Barcelona, among them, more nice districts like, for example, the Gothic Quarter.

BARCELONA MODERNISM: ANTONI GAUDI

Today I would like to talk about the brilliant catalan architect Antoni Gaudi and suggest you a route to visit his most important modernist masterpieces. Some time ago I published a Modernist Route in Barcelona where you can admire more modernist buildings designed by other fantastic architects like Puig i Cadafalch or Domènech i Montaner.

Hologram of Antoni Gaudí in La Casa Batlló, one of the most beautiful modernist buildings he designed

Gaudi was an architect with an innate sense of geometry and volume, as well as a great imaginative power which allowed him to mentally project the majority of his works before passing them to planes. Actually, he rarely performed detailed drawings of his works, preferring to recreate them on three-dimensional models.

Endowed with a strong intuition and creativity, Gaudí conceived his buildings in a global way, searching for structural, functional and decorative solutions.  He studied his creations to the smallest detail, integrating to the architecture a wide range of handicrafts which he mastered to perfection: ceramics, glass, iron forging, carpentry etc. He also introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as his famous "trencadís" made with scrap pieces of pottery.

Below you can see the modernist masterpieces Antoni Gaudí designed:

• Sagrada Familia
• Park Güell
• Casa Vicens
• Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera)
• Casa Batlló
• Palau Güell
• Casa Bellesguard and Viaduct
• Col·legi de les Teresianes
• Casa Calvet
• Güell Pavilions in Pedralbes

• Cripta de la Colonia Güell
• El Capricho (built in Comillas, a lovely village in Cantabria)

• Bodegues Güell

La Sagrada Familia

The Nativity façade of La Sagrada Familia is the one of the transept facing east and consisting of four towers with three doorways. It's dedicated to the birth of Jesus and was the first to be built

Detail of the Nativity façade of the Sagrada Familia

  Ceiling of the main nave of the Sagrada Familia, the most impressive masterpiece designed by Gaudí and the most beautiful modernist building in Barcelona

Curved line inside the Sagrada Familia

Park Güell

Main entrance of the Park Güell in Barcelona

The Gaudi dragon fountain is at the entrance to the Park Güell. This dragon is adorned in beautiful coloured tiling and is one of the most famous images of this park

 Doric columns support the roof of the lower court which forms the central terrace of the Park Güell, with serpentine seating round its edge

Casa Vicens

Main façade of La Casa Vicens, a modernist building located in El Barri de Gràcia

Wrought iron railings of La Casa Vicens, one of the first buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí

Colorful look of the façade of La Casa Vicens

Casa Milà

Chimneys of La Pedrera are the element which impressed me the most of the roof of this fantastic modernist building designed by Gaudí

 A closer view of these spectacular chimneys-shaped warriors of La Pedrera

Casa Batlló

Main façade of La Casa Batlló, a beatiful modernist building designed by Gaudí

I really liked the warm colors of the floor, doors and windows in the noble floor of La Casa Batlló

 The roof terrace of La Casa Batlló is dominated by tiles of different colours on one side, and coloured using the trencadís mosaic technique on the side facing inwards towards the roof terrace

Palau Güell

Main facade of El Palau Güell, located near La Rambla de Barcelona

These parabolic arches are the main entrance of the Palau Güell and are a common feature of the Gaudí designs 

Impressive dome over the central hall of El Palau Güell

Casa Bellesguard

 The height of Casa Bellesguard is enhanced by the conical turret, topped by a four-armed cross which is so characteristic of Antoni Gaudí’s work

Col·legi de les Teresianes

The religious symbology of Col·legi de les Teresianes in Barcelona is completed by the turrets at either end of the building, which are surmounted by a four-armed cross

Casa Calvet

Casa Calvet in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí

Pabellons Güell in Pedralbes

Wrought iron dragon at the gate of the Güell Pavilions in Pedralbes

The dome of the longeing ring of the Güell Pavilions,  a complex of buildings in the neighborhood of Pedralbes and designed by the catalan modernist architect Antoni Gaudí

Colònia Güell Church

Stained glass windows and bell tower of the church, the crypt actually, of La Colònia Güell

Ceiling of the crypt of La Colònia Güell

El Capricho (located in Comillas, Cantabria)

El Capricho, a house built by the brilliant modernist architect Antoni Gaudi, is the most beautiful modernist building in Comillas

This combination of spanish and arabic colorful elements give a cheerful look to this building

Cathedral of Mallorca

Baldachin of the gothic cathedral of Palma de Mallorca designed by Antoni Gaudí

The brilliant architect Antoni Gaudí is buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia Basilica, his most ambitious masterpiece:

Tomb of Antoni Gaudí in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia Basilica

Clicking on the next links you will find more pictures of the most important buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí:

• Sagrada Familia
• Park Güell
• Casa Vicens
• Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera)
• Casa Batlló
• Palau Güell
• Col·legi de les Teresianes
• Casa Calvet
• Torre Bellesguard and Viaduct
• Pabellons Güell
• Crypt of the church of Colonia Güell
• El Capricho (built in Comillas, a lovely village in Cantabria)

Besides, other modernist buildings you can visit in Barcelona are:

• Hospital de Sant Pau
• Palau de la Música Catalana
• La Boqueria
• Casa Fuster
• Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"
• Casa Thomas
• Casa Amatller
• Casa Lleó i Morera
• Casa Martí (Restaurant els Quatre Gats)

Finally, clicking on the next link you will find more links to other beautiful places in Barcelona, among them, more fantastic modernist masterpieces you can see along the Modernist Route.