Actually, for people who like the little details behind cities, here’s why everyone calls it “Sant Pau.”
Originally, it was the Hospital de la Santa Creu (Hospital of the Holy Cross), founded in 1401 during the reign of King Martí l’Humà and run by the Knights Templar Order. Yeah, those guys in white tunics with a red cross, like the ones from the Indiana Jones movie.
Barcelona’s Consell de Cent (City government) merged six medieval hospitals into one large hospital in El Raval, where the old Gothic building still stands today. It’s now home to the Biblioteca de Catalunya and is one of the best examples of Catalan civil Gothic architecture. Worth visiting if you are in the area!
By the late 19th century, that hospital had become too small for a growing industrial Barcelona, so a new one was planned.
A wealthy Catalan banker, Pau Gil, who had made his fortune in Paris, left part of his estate in 1896 to fund the new hospital. His condition was that it should be dedicated to Saint Paul. What a coincidence that he had the same name, right? That’s why the official name became Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The new modernist complex, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, began construction in 1902.
Later, in the early 21st century, hospital activity moved again to a newer and more functional and larger modern medical complex built close to the historic site. The old modernist pavilions were restored and are now mainly used as a cultural and heritage space, while the actual hospital continues operating in the newer buildings.
Today, most locals simply call it “Sant Pau,” and even the metro stop is just Sant Pau.
So here’s the funny part: most people assume “Sant Pau” refers to Saint Paul the apostle.
Not really.
In practice, the name people use every day comes from Pau Gil, the banker who paid for a huge part of it. So yes, Barcelona being Barcelona, one of its most famous “saints” is basically a guy with very deep pockets.
