Monestir de Sant Joan de les Abadesses

Top choice in The Catalan Pyrenees


Who gallops through the hills around Sant Joan de les Abadesses on stormy nights, on a horse engulfed in flames and accompanied by ravenous black dogs? If you believe the legends, it's the cursed Count Arnau, whose association with the Monestir de Sant Joan de les Abadesses has bequeathed it a heritage of brooding fairytales alongside its centuries of spiritual activity. The monastery, founded in AD 887 by Guifré el Pilós, is notable for both its architectural treasures and the legend.

The monastery began life as a nunnery, though the nuns were expelled in 1017 – some say for licentious conduct, others claim it was by decree of the Pope. Its elegant 12th-century church contains the marvellous and somewhat unnerving Santíssim Misteri, a 13th-century polychrome woodcarving of the Descent from the Cross, composed of seven near-life-sized figures. Also remarkable is the 14th-century Gothic retablo (altarpiece) of Santa Maria la Blanca, carved in alabaster; the Gothic cloister dating from the 15th century; and a plaque commemorating the monastery's first abbess, Emma, daughter of Guifré el Pilós.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Catalan Pyrenees attractions

2. Monestir de Santa Maria

5.35 MILES

Consecrated in CE 888, Ripoll's monastery was Catalonia’s spiritual and cultural heart from the mid-10th to mid-11th century. The five-naved basilica was…

3. Museu dels Volcans

10.83 MILES

In the middle of verdant Parc Nou (a botanical garden of Olot-area flora), this schoolroom-like museum has detailed displays on volcanoes, tremors,…

4. Museu de la Garrotxa

11.03 MILES

On the 3rd floor of a grand former hospice building, this smart, modern museum unpacks the evolution of La Garrotxa's industry, history, culture, art and…

5. Sant Joan les Fonts

11.55 MILES

Some 6km northeast of Olot, Sant Joan les Fonts has some lovely forest just beyond the village centre. From the Oficina de Turisme, you can pick up…

6. Monestir de Sant Joan les Fonts

11.79 MILES

Dating to the 12th century, this broad Romanesque riverside monastery is squirrelled away at the northern end of Sant Joan les Fonts, 6km northeast of…

7. Santuari de la Mare de Déu

13.23 MILES

The region's high point (literally and figuratively) is Núria's strangely austere 1911 sanctuary. A gold-and-pastel-painted passageway leads to its upper…

8. Castellfollit de la Roca

13.62 MILES

Aside from the hills, one of La Garrotxa's most remarkable geological sights is the town of Castellfollit de la Roca (10km northeast of Olot), teetering…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "spain/sant-joan-de-les-abadesses/attractions/monestir-de-sant-joan-de-les-abadesses/a/poi-sig/1288276/1315768",
      "destination": "The-Catalan-Pyrenees",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Spain",
      "region": "The-Catalan-Pyrenees",
      "position": "superzone"
    }