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The monastery of Pedralbes was founded by Queen Elisenda de Montcada in 1327, with the support of her husband, King James II. Following the spiritual currents of the time, the new monastery became inhabited from the beginning by Poor Clare nuns, the female branch of the Order of St. Francis, who resided there virtually uninterruptedly until the year 1983.
The building is one of the best models of Catalan Gothic, both for the church and the three-storey cloister, one of the most spacious and harmonious examples of this style. Of the church it is necessary to emphasize the tomb of queen Elisenda, that offers two slopes, the one that gives to the church, where it appears his image dressed like sovereign, and the one that gives to the cloister, where it is like widow and penitent. Also noteworthy are the stained glass windows of the fourteenth century, several tombs of noble families and the three choirs: high, low and monks.
Inside the monastery, and around the cloister, you can see a series of day cells, where the nuns retired for their personal gathering. The chapel of Sant Miquel stands out, commissioned by the abbess Sister Francesca ça Portella in 1343 to the painter Ferrer Bassa, with a clear influence of such important artists as Giotto, the Lorenzetti workshop or Simone Martini. (The temporary exhibition "Divine Murals: Reopening of the Chapel of St. Michael" delves into the murals of the chapel.) The visit is completed by the chapter house, the abbey, the refectory, the kitchen, the procures, the bedroom and the infirmary — one of the best-preserved examples of a Renaissance hospital building.

In the bedroom, the old dormitory of the nuns, which has undergone many transformations over time, you can visit the exhibition "The treasures of the monastery", which presents a selection of the best works of art , furniture and liturgical objects gathered by the community for seven centuries. The other permanent exhibitions offered by the monastery are “Plants, remedies and apothecaries”, in the cloister of the enclosure; a sample of dioramas in the search room, and the sample "Behind the walls of the monastery: 700 years of a history in female" in the old infirmary, which is, at the same time, an immersive experience in virtual reality, an audiovisual which collects the power of the abbesses and the conflict between the lineages and some touch screens to be able to consult the new web project on the architectural uprising and the history of the monastery.
The monastery of Pedralbes, in addition to its value as an architectural ensemble, allows, thanks to the objects and works of art it presents, to show the monastic life within the enclosure over time and helps to understand the closing life of the community until 1983, when the monastery became a museum.
Targets
The objectives of the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes focus on four key points that constitute the main axis of its action, seeking the balance between the tasks of conservation, both of the building and of the collections that hosts, scientific research, exhibition and dissemination.
Conservation
The conservation work includes both the imposing historic building and the various art collections, witnesses to the daily presence of the religious community that has inhabited the monastery in a virtually uninterrupted manner from its foundation to the present.
Research
To promote research on the building and the artistic collection, both from the institution itself and in collaboration with other bodies and research centers, supporting all those researches directly related to the history of the monastery or to others. that can be derived from it.
Exhibition
To make known, through the permanent exhibition and the temporary samples, the set of the collections that the nuns have gathered over time. Some pieces, mostly of a cult and religious nature, stand out for their great artistic value, while others reflect the daily life of the community and become a witness to the customs, fashions and models of religious and secular life.
Dissemination
Stimulate interest in the knowledge of the history of the monastery and its close relationship with the history of the city of Barcelona and the country, through the programming of activities designed for a wide and diverse audience.