The church of the former psychiatric hospital in Nou Barris, through the archbishopric, will recover its religious use once the City Council has urbanized the surroundings and secured the structure.
The chapel has been totally abandoned for more than 36 years, after the Mental was closed. Since that time, access has been limited and the structure has deteriorated.
The stained glass windows no longer exist and have been replaced by conventional glass, while the stained glass windows are restored and replaced. These were the representation of the 12 apostles and you can still read with some difficulty the name of each one of them.
The inspiration of the church of the former mental hospital
The small chapel was built by the architect Josep Oriol Bernadet in 1888 as a structure dedicated to San Rafael.
It was part of the Institut Mental de la Santa Creu. During the time it was in operation, it was used for worship services reserved for patients, health personnel and on Sundays, family members of the inmates and some neighbors could attend.
It was in 1986 when the Mental de Nou Barris closed its doors and part of the premises was converted into the district headquarters.
By that time the chapel fell into disuse and was degraded over time, although attempts were made to put it to other uses, which never prospered.
After more than 40 years, it seems that the future of the temple is expected to be clear.
Although the ownership of the building is municipal, the municipality reached an exchange agreement with the archbishopric. Thanks to the agreement, the City Council benefits from the exchange for a plot of land in Trinitat Nova that will be used for some kind of equipment.
At present, the district has been urbanizing the area around the chapel to secure its structure. Once the repairs and reinforcements are completed, the archbishopric will be able to adapt the interior of the chapel so that it can once again provide religious services.
They also hope to recover some elements of historical value, such as a very deteriorated painting that serves as decoration of the half dome over the altar.
The former psychiatric hospital of Nou Barris
The Mental Hospital was inaugurated in 1889 by order of the Hospital de Sant Pau. It had the capacity to care for more than seven hundred patients and was directed by Dr. Pi i Molist, a pioneer in the treatment of mental illness in the country.
Pi i Molist conceived the hospital as an avant-garde institution. A space where the patients, being isolated from the environment, could receive good impressions of the environment, thus favoring their recovery.
For this reason, the hospital was built in a place with abundant water, nature, ventilation, far from the city.
It was a huge building with twelve perpendicular pavilions and surrounded by a property of more than 100 hectares.
