he antithesis of Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia, the modest ancient church and monastery of Sant Pau del Camp (St. Paul of the Fields) is one of the most serene and most moving religious spaces in Barcelona. According to his gravestone, which was unearthed in 1596, the monastery was founded between 897 and 911 by Guifré Borrell, then count of Barcelona (and son of Wilfred the Hairy). The church was sacked by Al-Mansur’s Moorish troops in 985, but the whole complex was rebuilt during the 13th century—the period of the charming cloister and its stone capitals carved with Biblical tales. Centuries of erosion have not dimmed Eve’s sudden embarrassment about her nakedness or the ferocity of the reptilian devil being skewered by archangel Michael. The intimate piety of the church and its small altar are striking. A side chapel holds a beautiful polychrome Gothic statue of María del Deu, as well as the founder’s gravestone. The posted opening hours schedule should not be taken literally.