PEDRALBES MONASTERY

The royal monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes is one of the finest examples of Catalan Gothic art and architecture. It was founded in 1327 by Queen Elisenda de Montcada, the last wife of Jaume II, the Just, for a community of women who followed the Rule of the P oor Clares, the spiritual sisters of the Franciscans. The monastery has remained practically unchanged, from its foundation to the p resent day, both architecturally and in terms of the assets the community has amassed over the centuries.