The courtyard of the Butterflies shines again after 9 months of repair work. Cleaning and recovering the paintings are some of the most important jobs. The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, responsible for Casa Milà, is fulfilling its commitment to maintaining and conserving its heritage.

After 9 months of repair work, the courtyard of Les Papallones or Provence returns to its optimal state of preservation. La Pedrera has more than a hundred years of history, the passage of time, as well as rain and air pollution, make the deterioration of the appearance of the building inevitable.

The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera has carried out the work of repairing this courtyard and its pictorial ornamentation. The tasks carried out have been to clean, rehabilitate structural elements as well as recover the original textures, colors and elements such as stucco, paintings and polychromes from Gaudí’s work. The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, responsible for Casa Milà, thus maintains its commitment to maintaining and conserving its heritage.

This is the second performance in the courtyard since the complete restoration of the building between 1987 and 1997.

Clean, check structural elements, update stucco, coatings and slabs and recover paints

The repair work consisted of inspecting the stucco, treating the metal elements, waterproofing the water collection channel and the horizontal surface of the roof. The repair plan also included locksmithing, carpentry, and restoration of polychrome paints, among others. Details of the repair work can be found in the press kit.
The team of professionals who have carried out the various patio repairs are led by architects, followed by plasterers and plasterers, restorers of murals, iron specialists and carpenters.

The butterfly yard, nature and structure

The courtyard is structured from columns and large windows. The interior façades stand out for handcrafted details such as wrought iron railings and naturalistic murals.

Gaudí was the only one to build the building around two central courtyards. Courtyards play an essential role. Between columns, there are large windows that provide better lighting and ventilation on the six floors of the house. In this elliptical courtyard, the bridge staircase to access the main floor stands out, with an iron structure that makes it "fly" to save interior space. On the walls of the courtyard we find remains of mural paintings of floral motifs, grouped in the central part, and under the windows.

We take care of La Pedrera, we love heritage

La Pedrera was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its exceptional universal value in 1984. It is also part of the Historical-Artistic Architectural Heritage of the city of Barcelona, ​​with category A, and is a Cultural Asset of Interest. National for the Generalitat de Catalunya, the highest distinction and heritage protection, among other recognitions.

The repair work on the Provence courtyard has followed the guidelines set by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera in the conservation and continuous maintenance of La Pedrera. All actions and interventions on the building are carried out following the guidelines of the specific discipline of restoration and intervention in heritage under the principles of minimum intervention and compatibility of materials and technologies applied, and supervised by the heritage commissions of the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya. In short, the Foundation is committed to maintaining and conserving heritage for future generations.

La Pedrera, the lighthouse of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera
La Pedrera is the headquarters and main facility managed by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, an independent private foundation that devotes all the resources generated to the conservation of the building, but also social, educational, cultural and environmental projects.

More information on the La Pedrera website.