After more than 40 years of abandonment under public administration, residents of Vallvidrera have been seeking to halt the degradation of this Local Cultural Heritage Site for nearly two decades. The campaign has intensified in the last two years to prevent its disappearance.
Salva Ferran, president of the Som Collserola association, has expressed his indignation at the situation, especially in a year when Barcelona holds the World Capital of Architecture title. The entities submitted a second petition to the Sarrià – Sant Gervasi district council in March 2026, after receiving no response to their 2024 submission, thus failing to uphold heritage care laws.
The campaign to save the monastery is proceeding on multiple fronts. The entities have met with the ombudsman, David Bondia, and the monastery's abbess, Maria Àngels Cornellà. They also have a meeting scheduled with the councillor for Sarrià – Sant Gervasi, Maria Eugènia Gay, on July 10th, and are seeking support from opposition parties to pass a resolution in the district's plenary session.
Architect Joan Albert Adell, a Romanesque specialist, has developed a low-cost basic project to stabilize the structural remains. The entities argue that once stabilized, the space should be given a purpose, such as projects to restore biodiversity and the agroforestry mosaic in the hills, similar to "Alimentem Collserola".
The monastery was built in 1237, but the Cistercian nuns stayed for a short period due to security issues, later moving to the plain of Barcelona and then to the Tibidabo monastery. The chapel remained in use until 1865, when structural problems began.
In the 1980s, the Corporació Metropolitana de Barcelona expropriated the monastery for rehabilitation, but the dissolution of the Parliament of Catalonia in 1987 left the project forgotten. Over 40 years of administrative neglect have brought this eight-century heritage to a state close to ruin.
The local demand to preserve the monastery dates back to 2008, with several subsequent complaints and even a short film in 2013. The nearby Torre del Bisbe also neared collapse, but public pressure led to structural consolidation, though it remains unused.
