The oldest church in Barcelona

Sant Pau del Camp is the name of this magnificent ancient church from the 10th century. It is located in the Raval district, and it was a Benedictine monastery located outside the city, for this reason it is called "del Camp" which literally means "of the field". In the XIV century the Medieval walls were expanded, and the monastery started to form part of the city.

Even if it suffered many attacks and damages throughout the centuries, we can still appreciate ancient original elements, such as the Visigoth marble capitals of the columns at the main portal.

Nowadays, it is not a monastery anymore, the monks left it in the middle of the XIX century, after the so-called "Desamortización de Mendizábal". After this event, it was used for different purposes: first as a school, then as a military barracks, until it was declared a national monument in 1879.