The monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses was founded in the year 885, at the proposal of the Count of Barcelona, Urgell, Osona, Girona, Barcelona and Conflent, Guifré el Pilós. Sant Joan de les Abadesses will be the first female monastery founded in Catalonia, and its first abbess will be Emma, daughter of Guifré el Pilós and Ginedilda.
Although the construction of a church with three naves and a transept was originally planned, in the end it remained in a very short nave, leaving its plan as a Greek cross. The current cloister is in the Gothic style (its construction began in 1442, on top of the original Romanesque), very simple. The palace of the abbey, built in the 15th century, and restored in the middle of the 20th century, is also preserved. The chapel dedicated to the Mare de Déu dels Dolors stands out, with its exceptional baroque dome from the 18th century. Inside the church you can admire the Santíssim Misteri, the only Romanesque descent preserved in situ in Catalonia. The old rectory has been converted into a museum, where you can see the monastery's art collection, consisting of sculptures, paintings, fabrics and goldsmiths.