Església de Sant Pau del Camp

Barcelona's oldest surviving church — Romanesque Benedictine monastery from around 1000 AD in the El Raval district

The Església de Sant Pau del Camp is considered Barcelona's oldest surviving church and a rare example of Romanesque architecture within the Catalan metropolis. The Benedictine monastery was founded around the year 1000 — with first mentions reaching back to the 9th century — and lies today in the El Raval district, surrounded by narrow lanes. Its name, "Saint Paul in the Fields," recalls that the church once stood far outside the medieval city walls. The cruciform floor plan, the ornate capitals of the small cloister, and the plain interior still convey the stillness of an early medieval monastery.