ABBEY OF SANT BENET DE BAGES

The Benedictine abbey of Sant Benet de Bages is in the municipality of Sant Fruitós de Bages and is one of the most interesting in Catalunya, a must for lovers of Romanic art. The monastery was founded by the noble Sala in 950 and it was consecrated the year 972. After the suppression of the monasteries in 1835, the family of the painter Ramon Casas purchased the property, a fact which favoured the preservation of the group of buildings, which includes structures ranging in date from the 10th century (the base of the bell-tower) to the 18th. The church, with its three apses (the central one of which projects, while the others are continuous with the transept), is 12th century, and over the crossing there rises a lantern tower. The cloister was completed about 1255 and its capitals are carved with vegetable motifs and depictions of various scenes.

Information:
Bookings by phone at + 34 93 875 94 01 (opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 2pm and Saturday , Sunday and holidays from 10am to 5pm)
See www.monstbenet.com for more schedule details