Alt CampAlt EmpordàAlt PenedèsAlt UrgellAlta RibagorçaAnoiaAranBagesBaix CampBaix EbreBaix EmpordàBaix LlobregatBaix PenedèsBarcelonèsBerguedàCerdanyaConca de BarberàGarrafGarriguesGarrotxaGironèsLluçanèsMaresmeMoianèsMontsiàNogueraOsonaPallars JussàPallars SobiràPla d'UrgellPla de l'EstanyPrioratRibera d'EbreRipollèsSegarraSegriàSelvaSolsonèsTarragonèsTerra AltaUrgellVallès OccidentalVallès OrientalAlt CampAlt EmpordàAlt PenedèsAlt UrgellAlta RibagorçaAnoiaAranBagesBaix CampBaix EbreBaix EmpordàBaix LlobregatBaix PenedèsBarcelonèsBerguedàCerdanyaConca de BarberàGarrafGarriguesGarrotxaGironèsLluçanèsMaresmeMoianèsMontsiàNogueraOsonaPallars JussàPallars SobiràPla d'UrgellPla de l'EstanyPrioratRibera d'EbreRipollèsSegarraSegriàSelvaSolsonèsTarragonèsTerra AltaUrgellVallès OccidentalVallès Oriental
CA|ES|EN

Diari de Catalunya

Empty Convents in Sarrià, a Solution for Growing Homelessness

The La Drecera community initiative seeks to utilize unoccupied religious spaces to provide accommodation for vulnerable people.

Facade of an old convent or monastery with ornate windows under sunlight.
IA

Facade of an old convent or monastery with ornate windows under sunlight.

The La Drecera community, from Sarrià and Vallvidrera, has launched an initiative to transform empty convents into accommodation for homeless people, in response to the increase in homelessness in Barcelona.

Following the departure of the last Poor Clare nuns from the Pedralbes monastery in February 2025, several cells have become vacant. This situation is not isolated, as in the Sarrià – Sant Gervasi district, there are at least ten more convents with very low occupancy. This reality contrasts with the 33% increase in homelessness in Barcelona over the last year.
A biologist collaborating with a local newspaper observed the large number of empty spaces in these convents. According to her observations, many of these large and well-preserved facilities have minimal occupancy due to the decline in religious vocations. Some convents with fifty rooms only house four or five nuns, a situation she considers unsustainable.
“

"Incredibly large, beautiful, and practically empty facilities because religious vocations are declining. There are convents with 50 rooms and only four or five nuns living there. This is unsustainable, and the Church, in principle, is an institution that looks after the poorest."

a local biologist and collaborator
Given this problem, the campaign “Convents buits: una sortida digna a la crisi de l’habitatge” (Empty Convents: a dignified solution to the housing crisis) has been launched, aiming to reclaim these spaces for homeless people. The driving group is evaluating the accommodation capacity of the convents and seeks to meet with ecclesiastical and administrative representatives to finalize solutions. They state that the situation of the eleven convents in the neighborhood is already being analyzed, some of which already have rooms and bathrooms prepared for use.
“

"They have many places that are already ready, with rooms and bathrooms prepared. This should be used so that people sleeping on the street could go there to sleep."

a representative of the Sarrià Neighborhood Association and La Drecera
The promoters hope that an agreement signed last February between the Government and the Catalan Church will facilitate the transfer of unused ecclesiastical spaces for social housing, without implying the purchase or donation of the properties. This agreement foresees the creation of a working group with members of the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference and the Generalitat de Catalunya to determine which spaces can host these homes. The initiative seeks to open a social debate on the use of these spaces and the need to find solutions to the housing emergency.

Related News