After being hit by bombs in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, all that survived of the Gothic church of Vilanova de la Barca was the apse, the façade with the main entrance, and parts of the side walls.

It was only 73 years later that the Catalonian town decided to restore the church ruins to serve as a multi-­purpose hall. In their design the architects focussed on clearly differentiating old and new through the use of colour.