The Victoria Pavilion, a step closer to becoming a reality

15 · February · 2024

Civil administration and society are committed alongside the Villavecchia Foundation in creating the first children’s hospice in the heart of Barcelona.

Coinciding with World Childhood Cancer Day, the Villavecchia Foundation has announced the continuing contributors in making reality the Pabellon de la Victoria (Victoria Pavilion), a pioneering children’s hospice that will be an essential part in caring for children and youth with complex chronic illnesses; those advanced in their illness and those facing their last days of life, a service for all the children assisted by the Red de Atención Paliativa Pediatrica de Cataluña (Pediatric Palliative Care Network of Cataluña) (XAPPI), and offering help and companionship to the young patients’ families.

The departments of Health and Social Services of the Generalitat de Catalunya have confirmed their future incorporation of this center in their list of public services, assuming management of these services once they have started operations in the beginning of 2026, reaffirming the words delivered by Health Counselor Dr. Manuel Balcells in last year’s press circle in February 2023: “Although medicine has advanced significantly, today, unfortunately, despite these advances, there exists close to 260 annual diagnosis of illnesses like cancer in Catalunya. For now, the focus on how to orient palliative care is transcendent for the finality of life, and above all the care for families, as well support in this complex chronic state. This space is necessary to accompany, care, and fill with life this whole process of illness and the final instances of children’s lives.”

The Victoria Pavilion will have six living spaces.

Presently, there is a numerous group of companies that have confirmed their collaboration with the donation of materials and services. Within these continuing collaborators are Cementos Molins, Simon, Roca, Otis, Eurofred, Fundación Fluidra, PwC, Ferrer&Ojeda, CDM Barcelona, Normmal o VEO. Additional confirmed collaborators are Diputación de Barcelona, la Fundación ”la Caixa” and the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, with the project relying on the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya for the restoration of the building’s historic facade. Other companies and entities have shown support through financial donations.

All of this support allows us to start the rehabilitation of the building in the coming months. The Ayuntamiento de Barcelona has conceded the first license for development that allows the rehabilitation of the Pavilion’s facade to commence, and is projected to start this first part of development this October, having obtained the funds necessary for this first phase. Even so, the fundraising efforts to make the interior developments of the building during the second phase are still open.

There will be a big communal space for therapy and games

The Pabellón de la Victoria (Victoria Pavilion) is located in the historic precinct of Sant Pau. Currently, the Villavecchia Foundation and the Private Foundation of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau work together to initiate this integral rehabilitation of the building, which has been named a Patrimono Munial by UNESCO. The installations will be rehabilitated by a multidisciplinary team led by recognized architect Carme Pinós, and will build a surface of 1.380 m^2, apart from the 1.300m^2 of garden areas.

The creation of the Pabellon de la Victoria has established itself as “una Victoria de todos” (“A ‘Victoria’ for all”), a challenge shared by all of society in incorporating into the healthcare and social system a pioneering resource that can take care of the lives of children with incurable illnesses, as well as their families throughout the process, with an emphasis on a social, health, and educational environment.

The center will have two apartments for families in cases of last days of life.

Being the first children’s hospice in the country, there is a commitment in guaranteeing the best quality of life, helping the sick child in question and their family throughout the process, giving any necessary support during the final moments of life, during the farewell and the grief that follows. It will be a space in which families will be able to enjoy spaces providing rest and wellbeing, therapies, fun activities, and an opportunity to live comfortably with their child during the final days of life.

The center will be located in the current Santa Victoria pavilion, inside the historic precinct of Sant Pau, built a hundred years ago, following the project by Louis Domenech i Montaner, with the gracious donation by the family of a little girl, small Victoria Girona, who died during the end of the 19th century due to illness, and was originally dedicated to the care for sick children.

A small pool will be offered for hydrotherapy and health efforts.

According to official data, there is an estimated minimum of 1.535 children in Cataluña with a need for pediatric palliative care and another 1.500 children with complex chronic illnesses. The president of the Villavecchia Foundation, Dr. Núria Pardo, emphasizes the “fundamental provision of a center prepared to help and assist in an integral manner the child and their family in the most critical of moments and in the final days of life. We want a children’s hospice in Cataluña, the first of many that should come after, and a resource that has been prominent in other European countries and the world.”

The Pabellon de la VIctoria (Victoria Pavilion) will also be a communal and care space for the medical professionals, where the research and knowledge in pediatric palliative care will be carried out, as well as the sensitivity and societal consciousness surrounding illness and death of children, promoting its incorporation into the community with the support of educational entities and centers.

The center wants to integrate this reality to a more visible state in our society. In order to do this, the Villavecchia Foundation works closely with the affected families and has created a Consejo de Familias (Council of Families) that addresses and advocates for the appropriate responses by the project in catering to the needs of their children.

► More information can be found at www.unavictoriadetodos.com