Ceràmica i mosaics de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Ceramic and mosaic decorations at Hospital de Sant Pau in El Guinardó, Barcelona, Spain
The Hospital's ceramic and mosaic covering forms a unified decoration system where patient pavilions feature colored tiles with floral designs on their roofs, while administrative spaces display intricate mosaics on walls, floors, and columns throughout. Every surface follows a design principle that merged medical cleanliness requirements with artistic craftsmanship.
The ceramic and mosaic works were created between 1907 and 1911, with Mario Maragliano directing the mosaic design during the hospital's construction phase. These works shaped how modernist architecture transformed medical spaces and demonstrated the power of new materials in healing environments.
The sixteen mosaic panels on the administration building's exterior tell the founding story of the hospital, blending artistic expression with institutional memory. These artworks shaped how people understood the building's purpose and showed how beauty served practical needs at the same time.
Visiting allows you to see both the broad ceramic roof coverings on the patient buildings and the detailed mosaics inside the administrative areas. You can best experience both elements by viewing the exterior first and then moving through the interior spaces.
Underground tunnels connecting treatment buildings feature ceramic decorations and have kept their original appearance despite continuous use until 2009. This hidden decorative layer reveals how care extended into functional spaces visitors rarely see.
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