Dels Ángels

The Dels Ángels in Barcelona is a historic building that was originally conceived as a convent for Dominican nuns. Today it serves as a cultural space and is part of the complex that includes the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA). The structure stands on Carrer dels Àngels and was recognized in 1993 as a cultural asset of national interest in Catalonia. Three large vaulted halls survive from the original complex, some of them with decorated corbels.

The architecture of the complex combines Gothic and Renaissance elements. The church, designed by the master builder Bartomeu Roig, has a Gothic floor plan with a single nave, five bays, and side chapels between the buttresses. Particularly noteworthy is the plain exterior, accented by a Renaissance portal on the facade and a relief of a guardian angel above a 16th-century door. Inside the Peu de la Creu chapel is one of the city's most important Renaissance portals.

The history of the site goes back to 1485, when nuns from Caldes de Montbui took over the care of a small chapel. Construction of the large convent began at the start of the 16th century, but had to be interrupted because of security concerns and defense strategies, and was later relocated into the city. After various uses, including as an iron warehouse during the Franco dictatorship, the building was restored in the 1980s. Since 2006, the former church has housed La Capella, MACBA's exhibition space for contemporary art, while the rest of the convent served as the headquarters of the FAD.