Santa Maria del Vilar Priory

The Priory was founded in 1083 by a community of Augustinian canons at the foot of the Albères mountains . The monks transformed a Carolingian-era building into a hospice for pilgrims on the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago), adding a church and cloister. They adorned the main apse with magnificent frescoes (11th-12th centuries): the vibrancy of the colors, as well as the scenes and motifs depicted, are truly astonishing. The canons occupied the priory until the 14th century, when it was secularized. In 1802, the buildings were sold to a farmer for agricultural use. The church became a stable, and the hospice a pigsty. The site was abandoned in 1942 and quickly became overgrown with vegetation. The property was purchased in 1993 by Mrs. Triadou who, with the help of about a hundred volunteers, undertook restoration work.