At 1,027 m, it is the highest chapel on the Montsant massif, at the foot of Roca Corbatera and at the head of the barranc dels Pèlags. Its origins go back to 12th-13th-century eremitism: the range's first documented hermit appears in 1164, and in 1161 Albert de Castellvell granted land there. Between 1210 and 1215 a small community of Cistercian nuns settled briefly on the site before relocating to the Bonrepòs monastery. In the 15th century the site passed to the Carthusian monks of Escaladei, and the present building —a single nave with Gothic rib vaulting— dates to around 1450, with a partial reconstruction documented in 1741, the year that appears together with the Carthusians' coat of arms on the doorway's keystone.
It was a place of devotion for Albarca, Cornudella, la Morera and Ulldemolins, with pilgrim gatherings and rain processions. French troops set it on fire in 1810, and it fell into ruin following the 19th-century church land disentailment (1835); it was restored for worship in 1909, though the Gothic image of the Virgin was lost in 1936. Today it is listed in Catalonia's Inventory of Architectural Heritage and is a landmark on the Montsant trails, roughly a four-hour walk from Albarca via the Refugis de l'Esperit route; gatherings are held on 23 April (Sant Jordi) and 17 August, and since 1991 a scout group from Reus has set up a nativity scene there each Christmas.
- Best forhiking, history, nature, photography
- OpeningErmita a l'aire lliure, accés lliure a peu; s'hi arriba en unes 4 hores de caminada des d'Albarca per la ruta dels Refugis de l'Esperit.
- AddressMassís de Montsant, al peu de la Roca Corbatera, 43361 la Morera de Montsant
Imatge: turismesiurana.org
Sources: turismesiurana.org · ca.wikipedia.org
Last updated: August 2026