Sant Pau de la Calçada

Sant Pau de la Calçada is a small Romanesque-origin chapel roughly 2 km south of Figueres, in the Alt Empordà region of Girona province, Catalonia, on the left bank of the Manol river. Standing within the grounds of the private Mas de Santpau farmhouse, it forms a compact historic ensemble with a neighboring stone tower — a quiet, lesser-known counterpart to Figueres's famous Dalí Theatre-Museum.

Where does the name come from?

The word "Calçada" points to the ancient Via Augusta, the Roman road that once ran nearby — the Latin term "calciata" referred to a paved, hardened track. The chapel's proximity to this old route gave the site the name it still carries today.

What is the history behind it?

The earliest reference to Sant Pau de la Calçada dates to 844, in a document attributed to Charlemagne, which names it as a cell dependent on the monastery of Sant Martí de la Muga. It surfaces again indirectly in a papal document issued by Pope John XV around 990. By 1176, under King Alfonso I, the church was confirmed as property of the Santa Maria de Vilabertran canonry.

During the 13th century the site became an independent parish, a status it held until roughly the 17th century, serving the scattered farmsteads of the surrounding countryside. Severe flooding in 1421 damaged the original building, and the chapel was rebuilt afterward using stone salvaged from the earlier Romanesque church.

What will you see there?

The current building is a modest single-nave chapel with a semicircular apse, dated to the 15th century. Embedded in its walls, though, are fragments of a much older, 11th-century Romanesque structure — remnants of the original church that predates the post-flood reconstruction. Distinctive features include a round-arched doorway and a slender bell-gable (espadanya) rather than a freestanding tower.

Just beside the chapel stands a separate stone structure, the Torre de Sant Pau de la Calçada, part of the same Mas de Santpau estate. The whole property remains privately owned, by the Del Pozo-Senillosa family, so access to the interior is not always guaranteed — it's worth checking locally before visiting.

When is the best time to go?

The standout date is the third Sunday of February, when the traditional "aplec" takes place — a long-running local gathering and pilgrimage that draws residents from Figueres and nearby villages. It blends a religious observance with an open-air community picnic around the chapel grounds, a custom kept alive for decades. Outside that date, the site is peaceful and rural, well suited to a short walk or bike ride from central Figueres.

How do you get there?

Sant Pau de la Calçada sits an easy 2 km walk or cycle south of central Figueres, following the Manol river valley. It makes a natural add-on to a day spent exploring the city itself, whose main draw remains the Dalí Theatre-Museum.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the inside of the chapel? The chapel stands on private farmland, so interior access is limited — the February aplec is the most reliable opportunity to see it in use.

Where does the name "Calçada" come from? From the Latin "calciata," meaning a paved road, referring to the ancient Via Augusta that once passed through the area.

How far is it from central Figueres? About 2 km south, along the Manol river valley — an easy walk or short bike ride.

What's the oldest surviving part of the building? Wall fragments of Romanesque origin dating to the 11th century, preserved despite the 15th-century rebuild that followed the 1421 flood.