A Barcelona sometimes strange places are discovered. Would it ever occur to you to visit an autopsy room? Well in Barcelona there is one and moreover it is a place that is worth seeing and that you can find at the number 47 of the Calle del Carmen in the Barrio del Raval: let's talk aboutAnatomical Amphitheater.
The building that houses it is already characteristic in itself, being a beautiful example of neoclassical architecture (it was built in the eighteenth century), but the real "joy of the crown" is the Gimbernat Room, which was the Anatomical Amphitheater of Barcelona and which since 1929 belongs to the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia.
Do you think you will find a cold and unwelcoming room? But no. The hall looks more like a baroque theater than to a room where to do the Autopsies: red brocade curtains (which served to hide occasional visitors), inlaid wooden chairs positioned around a marble table where autopsies were carried out and a splendid dome from which an imposing chandelier descends.
And while you're at it, why not keep discovering hidden treasures for the surprising Raval? Oh yes .. because this neighborhood is home to many hidden treasures, including the Old Medieval Hospital de la Santa Creu, one of the most significant examples of Catalan Gothic art. It is a matter of taking just a few steps, because the entrance of this building is located a few numbers beyond the Anatomical Amphitheater.
The building was built during the XNUMXth century under the direction of the master of work Guillem d'Abriell and today only three of the four wings that surrounded the porticoed courtyard are visible where the sick in convalescence used to walk (the fourth wing collapsed in the XNUMXth century). Within the complex of the building there is a small one-ship church with a barrel vault, with two attached chapels. The complex of buildings that forms theancient hospital it currently houses several city institutions, such as the National Library of Catalonia, the Massana School, the Institute of Catalan Studies and the public libraries of Santa Pau and Santa Creu.
What: Anatomical Amphitheater
Where: Carrer del Carmen, 47
How to get there: Metro L3 (green) - Liceo stop
Telephone: + 34 93 317 16 86
Visits: Wednesday from 10 to 13
What: Antiguo Hospital de la Santa Creu
Where: Carrer del Carme, 56
How to get there: Metro L3 (green) - Liceo stop
