Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll — Attraction in Ripoll

A treasure of the romanic architecture, this is one of the must-sees of any trip to Catalonia, or of any based on medieval history / architecture. The Monestir (a building halfway through a cathedral and a church) is a piece of Romanic style that goes back to the 9th century. Its main entrance features a massive sculptural piece from the 12th century (portalada) - a triumph arc depicting passages of the Bible's Old Testament: a truly unique item definitely worth seeing. Inside, the main church and cloister offer magnificent views of the Romanic architecture in a really powerful and enveloping surrounding. Definitely worth spending some time walking and admiring it either by yourself or with one of the guided tours that take place daily (hours can be checked on the...

Nestled in Pyrenean foothills, Ripoll is a gem of a town with a monastery to which is a delight to see. The monastery dates from the 9th Century, and has persisted through every catastrophe both man-made and natural a building of this kind and age endures. Fire and earthquake are just two such tales that are woven into the fabric of the monasteries evolving architecture and purpose. A rare and imposing 12th century portico, on display at the monastery's entrance, is protected from the elements and greets visitors. Catalonia is rich in architecture and history, and Monestir de Santa Maria should definitely be on the hit list of things to see for anyone passing through...

Great piece of architecture but badly curated exhibition. Too much info with little focus. Much of the material is in Catalan ONLY. For example, the exhibition fails to clearly transmit a basic information such as why was this monastery built. The volume on some of the instalations is too low to hear . Signage is lacking: you wanto to go to the next room but you find yourself in the toilet. Conclusion: curated primarily for Catalan public. If you are not Catalan it is...