When you first enter the site and see these wonderful restored buildings you may think they are all the same. Look carefully at the roofs and the windows as they are of different styles and patterns. Some windows still have the original shutters.
The most prominent figure-symbol is the guardian angel, who may appear in the guise of a man, woman or child. Examine each of the statues on the pavilions as they have such angels guarding them.
And each of the water towers has the same decorative floral ceramic tiles at its base. But look at the upper ring of tiles and you will notice they are all different. The small domed roofs follow the same pattern: a main copper-coloured body of monochrome tiles closed off by three upper rings that converge on the stone lantern.
Source: All the information in these Sant Pau posts is taken from the admission booklet.
How to get there:
Metro: L5 Sant Pau / Dos de Maig or L2 to Sagrada Familia and walk up Avenue de Gaudi
Bus: H8, 19, 20, 45, 47, 50, 51, 92, 117, 192
TRAVEL WORDS 
As i have mentioned previously, I love shutters. They wouldn’t suit this bland bungalow where we live now, but I always wanted to have a house with shutters.
The tiling and decoration shows such care, in what are essentially functional buildings. Although I usually prefer less ornate Art Deco and Modernist styles, I can really see why this hospital complex fascinated you.
Best wishes, Pete. x
It was another world then Pete, can’t imagine anyone designing a hospital or any other institution on these lines today, but will our modern architecture (The Shard, the Gherkin) stand the test of time? And yes, I know what you mean about shutters. Maybe both of us should have moved to the French countryside 😀
The more I see of this place, the more I am impressed, Jude!
It is impressive. I preferred it to Parc Guell. And we were there at opening time (10 am on a Sunday) and there were very few people around so it was even better than the Sagrada Familia in that respect. I do prefer places without crowds.
You and me both, I really dislike crowds….
We visited Barcelona for a couple of days and after seeing your posts, I really didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. I wish you’d been our tour guide and as I’m a very independent traveller, that says a lot!
The tiles are really lovely. Shame Gilly is missing this. She would have enjoyed the series. 🙂 🙂
Hope she can catch up when she is feeling more like it.
The funeral is on Friday and she hopes to pick up the reigns again after that. I had a text this evening. Not easy, poor love.
More gorgeousness (is that a word?) to feast our eyes upon.
Gorgeousness is a great word!
I’m not sure that it is in the dictionary, but I think it should be!
I quite agree.
I like Elaine’s comment … this is definitely more gorgeousness. Until you mentioned it, I hadn’t noticed the roofs were different. It’s all wonder detail!
I didn’t realise they were different either until I was half way around the site! Then I had to go back and take more photos 🙂