We’re always on the look out for off-the-beaten track places to visit in Barcelona, and this time we found a treasure, only a couple of hundred yards from the Tourist Central place that is Plaça de Catalunya. Down a narrow alley, called, unsurprisingly, Carrer de Santa Anna is a church hidden behind open gates. Founded in 1141, it was built between the 12th and 15th centuries, and inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
And there it stayed, a quiet centre of worship and community until the 19th century, when religious unrest saw the dissolution of the Monastery of the Holy Sepulchre surrounding it, and the destruction of most of the monastic buildings. The building was heavily impacted by fires during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, followed by a careful restoration that preserved its blend of Romanesque simplicity and Gothic elements. Here are some of the shots I took as we explored. There are modern frescos, in among the more historic elements.
But what took us by surprise was not so much this peaceful and historic place of worship, but what it has become. It turns out that it is a place of sanctuary and Hospital de Campanya for the city’s homeless and vulnerable. It provides basic and immediate health consultations, often staffed by retired doctors and volunteer medical professionals to help people who struggle to access the public health system.
The parish, with support from the City Council and community partners like FC Barcelona runs a community kitchen and distributes 400 – 500 daily meals. They’d just finished serving breakfast in the cloisters as we wandered around.
It offers a welcoming space (‘a home for the homeless’), emergency cold-weather shelter, showers, companionship, and assistance connecting with social services . It welcomes everybody and anybody who needs their help, of all faiths or none. For instance, during Eid, it provides post-fast meals to the Muslim homeless population. We were so impressed by its welcoming and can-do atmosphere. You can read more about it here. All this, just yards from the bustling city and tourist life so very close by.
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