Santa Maria de L’Estany Monastery

The Monastery, designated a Cultural Asset of National Interest, was founded in 1080. The Church, the Cloister and the Museum make up a historical monument worth visiting.
The Church preserves the same simple and austere style of the 12th century. Outside the church, its eastern façade is remarkable for its magnificent view of the triabsidal chevet. Inside, the church is dominated by the image of Santa Maria de L’Estany, a polychrome outstanding alabaster Gothic sculpture, dating from the 14th century.
The Cloister of the monastery, built during the 12th, 13th and early 14th century, is the most interesting element of the monastery and a must for the visitors keen on the Romanesque. It is notable for its double columns with their 72 magnificent and well-preserved capitals carved with iconography depicting a variety of themes such as plants, animals, heraldry, biblical scenes, fauna, flora, secular customs... none of them being the same.
The Museum is in the former rooms of the Monastery, which exhibit objects dating from the abbatial period and others contributed by the village inhabitants, as well as an archive full of documents about the monastery dating from the 11th century, which bear witness to its long history.