Sant Joan de les Abadesses is the smallest town in Ripollès, but its historical, cultural and architectural heritage is immense.
One of the most beautiful places in Sant Joan de les Abadesses is the Vell Bridge, of Romanesque style with a single arch. This is the first bridge of the town built on the River Ter and dates from 1138. In the 15th century, however, the bridge was affected by an earthquake and had to be rebuilt, years later, following the style gothic Centuries later, during the Spanish Civil War, the bridge was dynamited and in 1976 it was reconstructed with the Gothic vault and Romanesque arches.
The Monastery of Sant Joan, one of the jewels of the Catalan Romanesque, formerly known as Sant Joan de Ripoll, is an ancient monastery in the center of Sant Joan de les Abadesses (El Ripollès). Founded in 887, until 945, it was the only female monastery in Catalonia.
The architecture of this monastery has features that are characteristic of three different styles: Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque.
It is a monument declared a cultural asset of national interest.