Sant Andreu de Vallgorguina

Sant Andreu de Vallgorguina is the parish heritage of the small town of Vallgorguina in Catalonia, made up of two buildings sharing the same patron saint: a ruined medieval church and an active 19th-century parish church. For a visitor, it's a place where a thousand years of local parish history sit side by side — from the earliest written record to the church still in use today.

How do you get there?

Vallgorguina sits in the Vallès Oriental region, in Barcelona province. It's a small town, and both buildings connected to Sant Andreu lie within or close to it — the old church now stands on private land, away from the town centre, exactly where it was originally built, at a distance from the compact settlement. The approximate coordinates are 41.64771, 2.51044. Driving from Barcelona or Girona is the easiest option, following local roads into the Vallès Oriental countryside; the surroundings are rural, with fields and woodland framing the buildings.

What will you see?

The story of this parish goes back to 1083 — the oldest known reference to it, recorded in a document in which a man named Guillem Umbert and his wife pledged not to attack the parish, which belonged to the estates of the monastery of Sant Cugat. The monastery held the surrounding lands, and the origins of worship here may well predate that written record.

The building known today as the old church (Església Vella) took its current shape in the 17th century. It's a single-nave church, elongated, reinforced with buttresses — a layout typical of rural Catalan churches of that era. Its main altarpiece, commissioned in 1671 and now lost, shows that the parish was investing in its interior decoration at the time.

Over time, the old church's location, some distance from the town centre, became inconvenient for residents. Between 1825 and 1848 a new parish church was built closer to the heart of Vallgorguina, and the new building was consecrated in 1848. The old church wasn't abandoned outright, though — it was repurposed as the cemetery chapel, a role it kept for a time.

Today the old church stands in ruins, overgrown with vegetation and visibly deteriorated. It sits on private land, so it cannot be visited inside — it can only be seen from the outside, from the road or nearby paths. The new parish church in the town centre remains active and now serves as Vallgorguina's main place of worship.

When should you visit?

Given the open, rural character of the area, daylight hours are best for a visit — the ruins of the old church are partly hidden among vegetation and easier to spot in good light. Spring and autumn are comfortable seasons thanks to milder temperatures in this part of Catalonia, though the site itself can be visited year-round, keeping in mind that access to the ruins is restricted by private land ownership.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the old Sant Andreu church? No — the building stands on private property and is in ruins, so entering isn't possible. It can only be viewed from outside.

What's the difference between the "old" and "new" Sant Andreu church? The old church (Església Vella) dates from the 17th century, is now in ruins, and previously served as the cemetery chapel. The new parish church was built between 1825 and 1848 closer to Vallgorguina's centre and is the one actively used today.

How far back does this parish's history go? The earliest surviving record dates to 1083 and concerns a pledge not to attack the parish, which belonged to the monastery of Sant Cugat.

What happened to the old church's original decoration? The main altarpiece, commissioned in 1671, has not survived — the building today stands abandoned and overgrown.