2023 marks the centenary of the death of Lluís Domènech i Montaner. A leading practitioner of 19th-century Catalan Art Nouveau, he was a versatile person with many more aspects to his work than architecture.On the occasion of this centenary, we encourage you to learn more about this universal man who brought Catalonia to the world.Domènech i Montaner Year is a great cultural festival with all kinds of events celebrating the architect’s work in two stunning venues: the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site and the Palau de la Música Catalana.A year of unique activitiesThe Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site is to host three exhibitions about Domènech i Montaner’s work:The historical mosaics of the Administration PavilionThis is a unique opportunity to see the hidden mosaics on the front of the Administration Pavilion. They are all presented with full details and explanations so that you can learn about the historical context of the scenes and characters depicted. You will also find out about Domènech i Montaner’s creative context, the historical periods selected and the artists who produced them. This exhibition is an in-depth approach to mosaic as a decorative technique featuring life-size detail images.When: April to August.Where: Hippostyle Hall at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteHospital architecture studied by Domènech i MontanerThis exhibition is a comprehensive collection of the plans and details of some of the 240 hospitals around the world which Domènech i Montaner studied before designing the Hospital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau in the early 20th century. The exhibition gives you an idea of how hospital architecture was evolving at the time.Besides using them as a guide or starting point, Domènech i Montaner also improved them with the latest innovations to build the cohesive, functional and stunningly beautiful Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site.When: September to DecemberWhere: Hippostyle Hall at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteDomènech i Montaner’s plans in situThis exhibition is a documented tour through a number of areas at the Art Nouveau Site which can be visited including the Administration Pavilion, the gardens, the underground galleries and the front of the Sant Rafael Pavilion. All these areas have high-quality copies of Domènech i Montaner’s plans on display: sketches, decorative details, exploded views, structural details and more. This means you can compare the plans and the actual built features they are for.When: From March 2023Where:Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteCombined tickets and visits to see Domènech i Montaner’s workDomènech i Montaner Year is a unique opportunity to take advantage of new combined tickets to see his work.Combined ticketsTwo new combined tickets are available to celebrate the 25th anniversary of UNESCO’s World Heritage designation. One includes admission to the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site and the Palau de la Música Catalana for €24 and the other to the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, the Palau de la Música Catalana and Casa Fuster . The latter has two prices: €32 if it includes a tapa or €57 if it includes a meal in the Café Vienès at Casa Fuster.Visits to the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteVisits with interactive audio guideTo celebrate Domènech i Montaner Year, visits to the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site have an added attraction: a new audio guide featuring interactive games. It includes virtual and augmented reality together with historical photos, detail images and videos. The games take you into Sant Pau’s history and also enable you to earn points as you reach the milestones.When: all year roundHistorical reconstruction visitsArchitect Lluís Domènech i Montaner is your host and guides you on these tours of the site where besides exploring his work you’ll also learn about little-known aspects of his life. A fun fact is that whenever he took the train from Barcelona to Canet de Mar where his mother’s family was from, he always travelled in second class so as not to meet anyone he knew which meant he could use the journey time to do some work.When: autumn 2023Visits to the Historical ArchiveHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau’s Historical Archive welcomes you to explore its collection of documents spanning more than 600 years of history. On your visit you will find out that there was already an archive in 1596 and that the hospital keeps all the documentation: plans, certificates, invoices, contracts, worksite logbooks, payments, etc. You can see all these documents up close and the staff will show them to you while wearing gloves to avoid damaging the documents.When: 5-9 JuneFree admission daysYou can visit the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site free of charge on Sant Jordi and la Mercè. Besides enjoying your visit, you can also take part in a range of activities about the life of the architect and the history of the site.When: 23 April and 24 September 2023Concerts at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteTribute concert at the Primavera LIFE FestivalThe recital will be held as part of the Primavera LIFE Festival and is organised by the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation. The concert is inspired by the architect’s personal tastes and will feature pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Wagner, his favourite composers, alongside Catalan songs.It’s a special occasion where popular music and what’s called highbrow or academic music go hand in hand to pay tribute to Domènech i Montaner. This musical performance is also a conversation between cosmopolitanism and identity, a powerful blend which shaped the architect’s output.When: 25 May 2023 at 8 pmWhere: Domènech i Montaner Room at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteTribute concert by the Barcelona Municipal BandCome and enjoy this open-air musical tribute to Domènech i Montaner in which the Barcelona Municipal Band will perform pieces by composers who were the architect’s contemporaries. Founded in 1886, the Band is an institution in the history of music in Catalonia. A fun fact is that German composer and conductor Richard Strauss conducted it almost a century ago.When: July 2023Where: Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteTribute concert at the Bachcelona FestivalThe Bachcelona Festival pays tribute to the architect through the music of composer Johann Sebastian Bach, one of his favourites.When: July 2023Where: Domènech i Montaner Room at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteAdditional activitiesDomènech i Montaner Year is the backdrop for a number of cultural activities to celebrate Catalan culture and take part in unique and unrepeatable events. Here are just some of them.The interactive architectOne of the highlights of this special year is a life-size interactive hologram of Lluís Domènech i Montaner created by Marvut. This hologram interacts with the public using artificial intelligence. You can ask him a question via a touch screen and he answers it straight away. He also speaks several languages and uses sign language.When: all year roundWhere: Sant Salvador Pavillion at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteReading of poems by Joan BrossaPoet Joan Brossa dedicated a poem to Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the special issue about the architect brought out in 1963 by the Architects’ Association designed and edited by Oriol Bohigas. The piece celebrates the architect after a period of ostracism in which Francoism and Noucentisme reigned supreme. The reading will be given by Carles Duarte, a poet and member of the Lluís Domènech i Montaner Foundation, and the evening will be rounded off with romantic music played by cellist Erica Wise.When: 16 February 2023 at 7 pmWhere: Pau Gil Hall at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteConstruint a la Sala kids’ architecture workshopThe activity is designed to encourage creativity and make architecture accessible to children between the ages of 7 and 12. It also provides them with the tools to be responsible users of their environment in the future.The workshop is run by Construint a la Sala, a non-profit association made up of professionals from a range of fields who share a common interest in architecture and education.When: November 2023Where: Espai 1902 and adjoining rooms at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SiteLluís Domènech i Montaner Conference 2023The conference is built around four themes concerning the facets of Domènech i Montaner: the politician, the architect, the revivalist of craft trades and the intellectual. An exciting journey which in particular addresses lesser-known aspects of his life such as his contribution to Catalan nationalist politics at the turn of the century and his legacy as a historical researcher and rediscoverer of Catalonia’s age-old heritage.The conference will be held in Canet de Mar, Barcelona and Reus. It is hosted by the Centre d’Estudis Lluís Domènech i Montaner (CEDIM) and Canet de Mar and Reus town councils.When: 5 May 2023Where: Administration Pavilion at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau SitecoupDefouet International CongressOne of the strands of the fourth congress organised by Barcelona City Council and the University of Barcelona is about the architect on the centenary of his death. Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Art Nouveau around the world explores his connections with architects, artists and intellectuals worldwide.People such as French architect, archaeologist and writer Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and German composer Richard Wagner, for example, were inspirations for him. His expertise around the world will also be discussed. In short, who influenced him and who was influenced by him and also whether there were shared influences.When: 30 June-1 July 2023Where: Administration Pavilion at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site