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Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery, Catalan Pyrenees
Cloister at Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery
The visit to the town of Sant Joan de les Abadesses starts with the observation of the perfect line of the streets of the Vila Vella. They were planned and built in the 13th century with names according to the guilds that occupied them (Carrer dels Tints and Carrer dels Canonaires, for example). The monasterydates from the 12th century, though it was founded in the 9th century by Guifré el Pilós (Wilfred the Hairy), in an attempt to reorganise the zone.
In addition to the monastery, the monumental complex of Sant Joan de les Abadesses includes a series of points of interest such as the Romanesque Church of Sant Pol (12th century), which features the tympanum sculpted on the door with a Christ flanked by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, with two angels, one at each end; the wood carving that represents the Holy Mystery, in a transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic; the Palau de l'Abadia (15th century), which contains a Romanesque hall, the Sala Tosca, where Joan Maragall located (albeit anachronously) the poem of Count Arnau; and the remains of the old town wall (13th century), conserved in the east part of the town. Other interesting features are the Pont Vell (12th century), which had disappeared and was rebuilt in the 1960s, the house in which the poet Maragall spent the summers, where he took inspiration for some of his best-known works such as the poems "La Vaca Cega" and "El Comte Arnau", and Plaça de l'Abadessa Emma, with a monumental fountain dedicated by the people of Mexico to the composer from the town, Jaume Nunó, who wrote Mexico's national anthem.
Take the A-7 as far as the turning of the Vic-Puigcerda freeway. Follow the signs to Ripoll until the turning of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. Monastery opening times: Monday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 to 6 pm. From March to October it is open daily from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 to 7 pm. Around 15 July the Cycle of Representations of the Myth of Count Arnau is performed, with many varied activities.