Sant Vicenç

Sant Vicenç d'Esclet is a small chapel in Cassà de la Selva, a town in the Gironès comarca, Girona province. Tucked away in the rural hamlet of Esclet, it is far from monumental, yet its roots stretch back to the early Middle Ages, making it one of the more evocative historical traces in this corner of Catalonia.

How do you get there?

The chapel sits in the southern part of the Cassà de la Selva municipality, close to the Gotarra stream, within the small rural district known as Esclet. Cassà de la Selva itself lies a short drive south of Girona, along routes connecting the city with the Costa Brava coastline, so reaching the area from central Girona typically takes under half an hour. From there, unpaved local roads and trails lead to the chapel — the surrounding countryside is popular with mountain bikers and hikers, who often combine a stop at Esclet with longer routes through the nearby hills toward Vidreres or the old Sant Iscle castle. Since the site isn't on a main road, it's worth checking a map or GPS app before setting out.

What will you see?

Sant Vicenç d'Esclet is a modest, single-cell chapel built directly onto a farmhouse known as Mas Vilabella (also referred to as Can Vilabella). This kind of arrangement — a chapel fused with a working farm — is common among rural sanctuaries in Catalonia and reflects how closely places of worship were tied to local agricultural communities. The interior is plain, with little decoration, underscoring the chapel's rustic, unpretentious character.

The site's history runs far deeper than the building visible today. A hill referred to as "podio Sancti Vincentii" appears in documents as early as the year 923, linking this location to an estate that once belonged to the monastery of Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The chapel's current form, however, dates from a rebuilding carried out in 1721, which gave it the shape it retains today. This long continuity — from an early medieval land record to a Baroque-era reconstruction — makes Sant Vicenç d'Esclet a small but telling marker of centuries of continuous settlement in this part of the Gironès comarca.

When should you visit?

The highlight of the year here is the aplec — a traditional community gathering and pilgrimage held in late January, around the feast day of Saint Vincent (January 22). The custom had fallen out of practice at some point, but local residents revived it in the early 1980s, and it has been held regularly ever since. During the aplec, the site comes alive with cultural performances, traditional games and contests, as villagers from the surrounding area gather at the chapel much as their predecessors did for generations. For a quieter visit, come on any other day — outside the festival, the chapel is silent and largely deserted, which has its own charm for anyone drawn to the rural corners of Catalonia. Spring and early autumn are good seasons for exploring on foot or by bike, thanks to milder temperatures.

What should you know before visiting?

The chapel remains culturally alive today — it even has its own set of traditional devotional songs (goigs), sung for generations by the people of Esclet during religious festivities. That's further proof of how deeply Sant Vicenç d'Esclet is woven into local identity, despite its modest scale and distance from major tourist routes. Visitors should keep in mind that this is first and foremost a place of worship and local memory rather than a fully equipped tourist attraction — there are no cafés or car parks on site, so it's worth bringing water and treating the visit as part of a longer walk or bike ride through the surrounding countryside.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sant Vicenç d'Esclet? It's a small rural chapel in the Esclet hamlet, within the municipality of Cassà de la Selva, built onto the farmhouse of Mas Vilabella.

How old is the chapel? The hill it stands on is documented as early as 923, though the current building dates from a reconstruction carried out in 1721.

When is the best time to visit? The most memorable moment is the annual aplec in late January, around the feast of Saint Vincent, revived in the early 1980s. Outside that, the site offers a quiet, peaceful stop.

How do you reach the chapel? By car or bike from Cassà de la Selva or Girona — it lies along local roads and trails in the southern part of the municipality, near the Gotarra stream.