Pedralbes Monastery is a unique space where visitors can observe the bryophytes and lichens growing on the building materials. The cloister is at the heart of the monastery. Considered among the largest Gothic cloisters in the world, it has two galleries with twenty-six columns on each side made of nummulitic stone – limestone with fossil remains – from Girona, and a third upper gallery added later.

The capitals supporting the pointed arches are decorated with highly stylised leaves and with the coat of arms of the coats of arms of the monarchy and the Montcada family. The ceiling is made of wood, and the boards once showed the red royal bars and the golden bezants or bread rolls of the Montcada coat of arms, currently reproduced in the abbey room. The combination of the heraldic emblems of the monarchy and the Montcada family resulted in the coat of arms that Queen Elisenda bestowed on the community for posterity.