The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes is one of the purest examples of Catalan Gothic architecture in Catalonia. The monastery was founded in 1326 by King James II of Aragon for his wife Elisenda de Montcada. The building housed a community of Clarissa nuns, mostly from noble families. The nuns resided in the building from the 14th century up until the early 1980s. Now the building is an important historical landmark featuring a museum displaying the everyday life of the nuns, religious art and temporary exhibitions. The monastery also hosts a beautiful medieval garden with medicinal herbs, a spectacular fountain, an intricate well and peaceful sitting areas. The building is a massive work of art and boasts the world’s largest Gothic cloister at three-stories high with two galleries and 26 columns on each side.
