Sant Pere de les Puelles facts for kids
Sant Pere de les Puelles is a very old monastery in Barcelona, Spain. It was built for Benedictine nuns. This special building is in the Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera area. It is part of the Ciutat Vella district. The monastery was built in the 900s. It mixes Romanesque and Gothic styles. In 1931, it was named a very important historical landmark.
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A Look Back: The Monastery's Story
This monastery started as a place for nuns. Count Sunyer I and his wife Riquilda Toulouse founded it. They built it next to an even older church. That church was dedicated to Saint Saturnino. The new church was officially opened on June 16, 945. Bishop Guilarà led the ceremony. The first leader of the nuns was Adelaide. She was the widow of Sunifredo of Urgel.
In 985, a group of soldiers led by Almanzor attacked the monastery. They caused a lot of damage. But Count Borrell II helped to rebuild it. Adalet became the new abbess, or leader of the nuns. The monastery slowly grew bigger. By the end of the 900s, about 12 nuns lived there. In the next century, this number grew to 20. Most of these nuns were daughters of important noble families. These powerful families helped pay for the monastery.
In 1147, a new, much larger church was opened. It included both the monastery and the old Saint Sadurní church.
Changes Over Time
The monastery faced tough times in 1835. The government took control of many church properties. The monastery then became a prison. In 1879, the nuns moved to a new home. This new place was in the Sarria-Sant Gervasi area.
In 1873, parts of the monastery were removed. This included the cloister, which is a covered walkway. The monastery also suffered a big fire in 1909. After the fire, it was rebuilt. But another fire damaged the building in 1939. This happened during the Spanish Civil War.
What the Building Looks Like
Not much of the original building is left today. This is because of all the damage and some poor repairs. We know that the cloister had two levels. The lower level was in the Romanesque style. It was built around the 1000s. The upper level was Gothic in style. It was built much later, around 1322. Some pieces of the original building have been saved. They are now in different museums.
The first church was shaped like a Greek cross. It had four arches supported by columns. It also had a dome with eight sides. In the area where the chapel is now, you can still see parts of the old Saint Saturnino church. This church was even older than Sant Pere de les Puelles.
The monastery used to have a bell tower. It was called the Torre dels Ocells, which means "Tower of Birds." This tower was destroyed in the 1909 fire. Today, there is an octagonal bell tower. It has six bells in total. One of these bells dates back to 1752.
Images for kids
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Exterior view (around 1905)
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Interior view
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See also
In Spanish: Monasterio de San Pedro de las Puellas para niños
