The monastery of Sant Esteve is the founding seat of the city of Banyoles. Founded in 812, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in Catalonia and was occupied by Benedictine monks until 1835. It preserves different architectural styles due to the various destructions and reconstructions it has suffered over the centuries, but it mostly responds to a style neoclassical (18th century).

Of the whole, the church stands out, with a central nave with three apses, the bell tower crowned by a cupule and the magnificent two-storey cloister. Inside there is the Gothic altarpiece of Our Lady of the Stairs (15th century) and the Ark of Sant Martirià (15th century), patron saint of the city.

After many years, the doors are opened for regular visits to these treasures and the monumental complex that makes up the baroque church and the neoclassical cloister.

*Opening hours:
Saturdays, from 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
Sundays and public holidays, from 10:30 a.m. to 2.p.m.

If you are interested in taking a guided tour, check out the Banyoles Museums website here.

For more information, www.museusdebanyoles.cat

Adress:
Plaça de la Font, 11
17820 Banyoles
Tel. 0034 972 572 361
macb@ajbanyoles.org