Ermita de Sant Ermengol

Ermita de Sant Ermengol is a Romanesque chapel, now a roofless ruin, standing in the municipality of els Prats de Rei in the Anoia region of Catalonia. Listed in Catalonia's inventory of architectural heritage, the building has lost its vault but still shows the layout it was given nearly a thousand years ago.

What does the ruin look like today?

The chapel has a single nave closed off by a semicircular apse. The barrel vault that once covered the interior has collapsed completely, but the arches that carried it are still standing, giving a clear sense of how high the original ceiling reached. The side walls are reinforced with sloped, talus-style buttresses, and a small bell-cote rises above the facade. The doorway, with its straight lintel, and the facade itself date from a later remodeling carried out in 1704 — a visibly separate layer sitting on top of the earlier Romanesque structure.

How old is the site?

A place of worship dedicated to Saint Ermengol already existed by 1076. A document from that year records that Oleguer and Guisla, a couple who were major local landowners, granted the Cathedral of Barcelona a plot of land near the chapel, stretching between the areas of La Manresana and Vilallonga. The donation was meant to provide for their son, also named Oleguer, who would go on to become bishop of Barcelona and archbishop of Tarragona, later venerated as Saint Oleguer. The building visible today is later than that first mention: it is a late-Romanesque structure, rebuilt at the end of the 12th century, more than a hundred years after the site's earliest recorded history.

What role did it play in the Battle of els Prats de Rei?

In 1711, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the area around els Prats de Rei was the site of a clash known as the Battle of els Prats de Rei. The chapel of Sant Ermengol and its surroundings were held at the time by the Bourbon rearguard. The location carried real strategic value, since it lay beyond the reach of allied artillery fire, making it a relatively safe position for troops defending that line.

Why is it worth a visit?

Sant Ermengol appeals to travelers looking for something beyond Catalonia's fully restored, postcard-ready monuments. As a ruin, it exposes the structure of Romanesque religious architecture almost in cross-section — nave, apse, buttresses, and the springing points of the lost vault — with the 18th-century facade as the only later addition. The chapel also sits along local walking routes connecting els Prats de Rei to the surrounding hills, making it easy to combine a visit with a walk through the Anoia countryside.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can visitors go inside the chapel? The building is a roofless, vault-less ruin, so a visit means viewing the exposed walls and nave from outside and through the open structure rather than entering a covered interior.

How old is the chapel? A place of worship here is documented from 1076, while the current late-Romanesque structure was rebuilt at the end of the 12th century. The facade and doorway date from a further remodeling in 1704.

Is the chapel linked to any notable historical figure? Yes — a 1076 document connects the surrounding land to the future Saint Oleguer, who became bishop of Barcelona and archbishop of Tarragona.

What happened here during the War of the Spanish Succession? In 1711, during the Battle of els Prats de Rei, the area around the chapel was held by Bourbon troops, who used its position beyond the range of allied artillery to their advantage.