Founded around 897 by Earl Guifre Borrell whose burial site, on the left side of the Church as you enter, helped in ascertaining the date of the Church founding, Sant Pau del Camp (St. Paul of the Fields) was a simple Church so named because it was built in the agricultural plain in what was considered at that time the outskirts of the city of Barcelona. It is now the oldest surviving Church in the city of Barcelona.

Today, it is like an oasis in the midst of a busy and crowded section of the city called Raval. Raval is where it all happens. It is colourful, full of bars and restaurants and peoples from different cultures as this is the place where most immigrants end up living. It is in here that this old and tiny Church of Sant Pau is located.

Where is Sant Pau del Camp?
Address: Carrer de Sant Pau, 101
                     08001, Barcelona
Telephone: 34 934 410 001
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
                                     Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Reconstructed by Geribert Guitard and his wife Rotlandis, it became a Benedictine monastery, a priory of the Monastery of Sant Cugat but in 1835, the monasteries in Spain were secularized so the monks abandoned it. In 1879, it was declared a National Monument. Below is what remained of the Monastery.

You can see in the next photo the entrance of the Church. Decorations are from nature.

Some of the Interesting Features Inside the Church of Sant Pau del Camp
The Romanesque nave with the altar is very simple with not too many decorations to distract one from worship. The tiny windows just give enough light adding mystery to the Church.

When we visited the first time, there was a Japanese lady musician from Okinawa practicing for a concert. It is a pity we did not have time to go back for it. She claims that the Church has one of the best acoustics she has ever played in.

The Church floors are all mosaic with different designs. On the left of the main altar is where the Blessed Sacrament is located. Here, there are candles you can light in prayer for whatever intentions you have. 

Unlike the other major Cathedrals in the city where there are so many things to see and many other tourists vying for front view, this Church in its simplicity  invites one to pray or to sit in silence. It speaks of age and wisdom, of what a Church should be, a connection to the unknown, to God.

​Gaudi deserves all the visibility he gets but Barcelona is not a one trick pony. Catalans try to express their uniqueness especially in the arts. and an architect named Lluis Domenech i Montaner  created the perfect showcase for their music in the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

​Like Gaudi, Montaner did it all: architecture, engineering, design, interior design, artistic design and did it all on budget through public subscription in 1905. The organ alone deserves an essay with its 5000 pipes delivering the Fugue in D as an assault on eternity. When you join a tour of the Palau, the guide plays some music just to tease you how good the acoustic of the place is.

The building will tell its own story in the pictures inside but when you hear the Catalans saying they are a special people remember this building.

​Both the inside and the outside are magnificent. It makes Rococo look bland and Thompson and Gehry look preprogrammed. Every centimetre fits into a great floral bouquet dominated by the roses of St. George yet featuring subtleties in acoustic engineering that are amazing for the late 19th century.

Built between 1905 and 1908, the Palau is the best example of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture. It has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Palau today hosts 300 concerts a year and some of the great artists and orchestras of our time have played there. Because it’s privately owned, it has infinite flexibility in its programming and in the message it sends out so when you visit Barcelona, of course, you must see the great Gaudi treasures but if you miss the Palau, you will not understand the heart and soul of Catalonia.

Who is Lluis Domenech i Montaner?
A Catalan architect who was highly influential in Art Nouveau, Montaner was also a politician. He played a very influential role in Catalan's Nationalist Movement. Registered as an architect in 1873, he also was the director of the Escola d'Arquitectura, Barcelona's school of architecture.

Montaner is a genius in Art Nouveau architecture and to see this you must visit his other work, the Hospital de Saint Pau now called the Saint Pau Art Nouveau Site. Some people think this is even much more beautiful. Here's a peek at this beautiful site. 

​If living like our ancestors suggest to you a log cabin or cave or tent, it probably means you're North American and may have forgotten the vast European and North African history. The Paradors in Spain will change your thinking.

The Spanish  government has brilliantly taken religious, military sites and palaces in the 17th and 18th centuries and while protecting and enhancing the exterior of these convents and castles, they've created hotels that save as much of the original use as possible while shooting for that elusive fifth star. The results are amazing.

We are currently staying in Convento del Roser, one of these Spanish paradors located in the historic centre of Lleida and we are gobsmacked. The exterior from the street is rough and beaten thoroughly by history but once through the glass door, the magic mix of a convent built in the 1600s with the most modern interior adaptations for creature comforts is both confusing and satisfying.

​Lighting, of course, makes a massive difference but very clever architects have made the most of every nook and cranny, from the open spaces of the interior courtyard to the adaptation of the Chapel to a first class restaurant serving local dishes in imaginative ways . There is not one ounce of cookie cutter in the whole 56 room structure and sometimes, you meet yourself coming back in the corridors.

Being right downtown, features like parking require a touch of genius. The tiny streets of the historic area make the feeling of being in the middle of history even stronger.

There is, of course, an ample supply of 4 and 5 star hotels throughout Spain but if your idea of history is to engage as a participant and not hide away as a reluctant spectator, the paradors of this country are an absolute must. Spread through the country in all the major towns and cities, you can turn a very average holiday into a very exciting opportunity to look at our past.

Vila Nova de Gaia is a city in Portugal completely unknown to us. We made our search of places to stay in Porto but somehow ended up in this place. The address says Porto so we kept in putting Porto into the GPS and never made a match..... and, hence, spent a fair amount of time lost.

After two ladies took pity on us and drove us to where we were supposed to be, we still were far from making the GPS work. Luckily, we asked a person in the street who pointed to us that instead of Porto, we put Vila Nova de Gaia as the city and it worked perfectly. We certainly learned how helpful Portugese people are in showing their historic mastery of navigation.

It is on the other side of the Duoro from Porto and here's the fantastic view we have from our 3rd floor apartment. All worth the climb. The Port factories claimed by Porto are all here too...so write the name down now.

But Vila Nova de Gaia is not just the other side of Porto. It has several kilometres of the Atlantic shores.  With quaint fishing villages, one can still enjoy watching the fishermen prepare for the sea and have delicious fresh fish in some of the restaurants close to the water.

Wine and olive oil sampling in Istria is worth whatever time you can give to it. The wine is as good or better than much of what you'll find in southern Europe and the best of it never leave Istria or Dalmatia so if you can get there and visit the vineyards, you're in for a treat.

We happened upon an olive harvest  and shared with the group their fun more at us I think but we did not really care. It's a novelty for us who did not grow up in olive growing countries.