Hidden in the heart of the Raval is a gem whose origins go back to the 9th century: the parish church of Sant Pau del Camp. Not much remains from its earliest days; all we can see are two Visigothic marble capitals on the façade and, inside, the tombstone of the man said to have been its founder, Guifré II.

Sant Pau del Camp church, Barcelona

Its surroundings today, in the bustling Raval, have nothing in common with those of its early days, when it stood among farmland (hence its name, Sant Pau del Camp, ‘Saint Paul of the Field’), outside Barcelona’s city walls, vulnerable and attacked several times over the centuries.

In 1879 it was declared a national monument.

The church we can see today, which was once a monastery, is Romanesque, from the 12th century. It has a single nave on a Greek-cross plan, and its small cloister is unique for the shape of its arches.

Personally, I think it’s the most charming church in Barcelona. So much so that I’m getting married here in December! 🙂