Badalona initiates the expropriation of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra to make a thematic center about the "discovery" of America

BarcelonaThe Badalona City Council has initiated the procedures to expropriate the monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, one of the great jewels of Catalan Gothic architecture, founded in 1416. The goal of the municipal government led by Xavier García Albiol is to integrate this historic site into the city's public heritage and turn it into a thematic and museum center dedicated to the "discovery" of America.The decision comes following news of an attempted purchase by a private company. Currently, this jewel of Catalan Gothic architecture is owned by the heirs of the Güell family. Approximately a year and a half ago, the Badalona City Council already held talks with the owners to try to reach an agreement that would allow for the acquisition of the monastery. "Those negotiations did not culminate in an agreement, but the municipal government has maintained since then the desire for this monumental complex to become part of Badalona's heritage. The appearance now of a firm buyer and the communication received by the City Council have led the municipal government to take a step forward and initiate the expropriation procedure," the council explains in a statement.

Xavier García Albiol has assured that "Sant Jeroni de la Murtra is much more than a monument of Badalona." "We are talking about a unique space, linked to one of the episodes that changed the history of humanity. A part of the world's history passes through Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, passes through Badalona, and we have the responsibility to preserve it and highlight its value," said Albiol. In the same statement, the Badalona council argues that Sant Jeroni de la Murtra is "closely linked" to the figure of Christopher Columbus and his return from his first voyage to America. "Several public institutions also record that the Catholic Monarchs received Columbus at the monastery in April 1493, after his return. The Spanish Archives Portal (PARES), dependent on the Spanish Ministry of Culture, includes among the highlight events of the monastery's history the meeting of the Catholic Monarchs with Christopher Columbus upon his arrival from his first voyage to the New World," he added.

"We have initiated this process with the goal of making an ambitious project a reality: for Sant Jeroni to become public heritage and turn into a great cultural and museum space that explains this history to Badalona, to Catalonia, to Spain, and to the world," highlighted Albiol. Currently, the monastery houses the Catalonia-America Sant Jeroni de la Murtra Foundation which, as its website explains, aims to investigate and promote closeness between Catalan and American cultures, making them known to the general public. In addition, there is a Catalonia-America Interpretation Center, with permanent and temporary exhibitions, a specialized library, and spaces for meetings.

The monastery is located in the Canyet neighborhood of Badalona, in a valley of the Marina mountain range, and in recent years the cultivation of vineyards has been recovered there. The monastery was founded by the Barcelona merchant Bertran Nicolau, where the house of Ça Murtra had once stood. The monks inhabited it until 1835, when a fire partially damaged it. Affected by the Mendizábal confiscation, the monastery was auctioned off and became a summer colony for many years. In 1947, Francesca Güell i López bought it to turn it into a place to rest in solitude and silence.

The complex, declared a cultural asset of national interest, stands out for its late Gothic cloister with sculpted galleries, the 16th-century defensive tower, and the remains of the church.