Monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses

The monastery of Ripoll, along with other monasteries in the area, played a central role in the colonisation and repopulation of the Ripoll valley on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees in the 9th century. The monastery was expropriated during the Spanish confiscation in the 19th century. The complex was restored in 1863 and in 1893 the church of Santa Maria was consecrated again.

The origin of this monastery is to be found in an old church dedicated to Saint Peter which had been consecrated in November 904, when it was endowed with various rights and properties. In the mid-10th century, Count Guifré II of Besalú decided to found a monastery on the site of that church, which he had previously taken possession of. The church is the only part of the former Benedictine complex that has been preserved. It was restored in the early 20th century and reconsecrated in 1933.

Sant Jaume de Frontanyà's canonry originates from an older church dedicated to Sant Jaume, located on a high spot west of the current site. Today, all the monastic buildings have disappeared except for the magnificent church, a single-nave building with a transept where three apses open.