Cartoixa d’Escaladei La Morera de Montsant

La Cartuja de Escaladei is a monastery located at the bottom of a valley, protected by the Montsant mountain range. This quiet space welcomed the Carthusian monks, who followed a model of life characterized by silence and prayer, combining hermitic solitude with community life.

La Cartuja was founded in 1194 thanks to a concession from Alfonso el Casto, with the aim of establishing a population center in recently conquered lands. Over time, donations and acquisitions made Alfonso the Chaste become a great feudal lord, coming to own a large territory that coincides with the historical priory.

Escaladei ( La Morera de Montsant ) was the first charterhouse on the Iberian Peninsula and played an important role in the founding of many other charterhouses that were created later.

Thanks to its prestige and influence, as well as the income generated by its extensive estate, Escaladei experienced a period of splendor between the 16th and 17th centuries. During that time, major architectural renovations were carried out and it was decorated with works from the Escaladei school of religious painting.

Starting in the first half of the 19th century, the confiscation of ecclesiastical lands and looting during popular revolts led to the abandonment and degradation of the monastic complex. However, the latest restoration works have made it possible to recover part of this splendor.

Now you can visit an area that corresponds to the community life of the charterhouse, where you can tour the three cloisters (one of them rebuilt), the church, the refectory and a rebuilt cell. These are the testimonies of the 600 years of history of one of the most important medieval and modern monasteries in Catalonia.

Visiting hours:

From Tuesday to Sunday, including holidays.

• From December 16 to February 28: from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• From March 1 to May 31: from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Easter hours:
  • Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• From June 1 to September 30: from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• From October 1 to December 15: from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Closed on non-holiday Mondays, December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 6.

*The ticket office and entrance close 30 minutes before the time limit.