Mare de Déu de Mas Bonans

Mare de Déu de Mas Bonans is a small hermitage chapel in the municipality of Piera, in the Catalan comarca of Anoia, standing on a low hill right next to the historic farmhouse Mas Bonans, also known as Ca n'Orpí. The chapel was built in 1956 at the initiative of Josep Vidal i Munné, a well-regarded local veterinarian, and designed by the architect Cèsar Martinell i Brunet — a former collaborator of Antoni Gaudí, best known for his monumental cooperative wine cellars scattered across Catalonia. The chapel went up the same year the farmhouse itself was restored, and it has served ever since as a landmark for the area and the setting for an annual religious gathering.

How do you get there?

Mas Bonans sits in the rural part of Piera, in the province of Barcelona, a short drive from the town centre. The surrounding landscape is typical of Anoia: rolling farmland dotted with low hills, connected by narrow country lanes linking scattered farmsteads. The easiest approach is by car from Piera, following the local roads that lead out to Mas Bonans — the chapel itself, perched on its small hilltop beside the farm buildings, is visible from some distance before you arrive. Travellers without a car will generally need to reach Piera by regional transport first and then continue on foot or by taxi, since this is a rural site without dedicated public transport links.

What will you see on site?

The chapel's exterior is modest but carefully composed. Inside, a single rectangular nave leads to a semicircular apse. The window openings are finished with round arches, and the entrance is framed by a stone portal built with voussoirs, topped by a small cross-shaped window set above the door. This restrained vocabulary — plain walls, calm proportions, sparing use of decorative detail — reflects Martinell's broader approach, one that blended traditional Catalan rural building methods with the more modern structural thinking visible in his famous wine cathedrals.

Mas Bonans itself, locally known as Ca n'Orpí, is a farmhouse listed in Catalonia's inventory of architectural heritage. The chapel stands just beside it on its small rise, giving views over the surrounding fields and farm buildings — a landscape typical of rural Anoia, with its vineyards and dry stone walls.

When should you visit?

The best time to visit is around the annual aplec (a combined pilgrimage and open-air gathering) of Mas Bonans, which since 1976 has closed out the local Sant Crist festival, celebrated on 28 April. The event draws residents from Piera and neighbouring villages, mixing a religious ceremony with picnicking, music and communal celebration, with the chapel serving as the natural focal point. Outside that date, the site remains a quiet viewpoint that can be visited from the outside year-round, and it is particularly attractive in spring and autumn, when the surrounding fields are at their most scenic.

Frequently asked questions

Who built the Mare de Déu de Mas Bonans chapel? It was built in 1956 at the initiative of Josep Vidal i Munné, to a design by the architect Cèsar Martinell i Brunet.

Is the chapel part of a larger site? Yes — it stands next to the historic Mas Bonans farmhouse, also called Ca n'Orpí, which is listed in Catalonia's architectural heritage catalogue.

What event takes place at the chapel? The annual aplec of Mas Bonans, held since 1976, which closes the local Sant Crist festival on 28 April.

Can you visit the chapel on your own, outside the festival? Yes, the site can be visited from the outside all year round — the nave inside is small and architecturally simple, so a visit is usually brief.