The old church of Sant Salvador

A church at the end of the rock

The old church of Sant Salvador stands at the tip of the cliff, next to the Plaça de Josep Pla viewpoint. It was the village's parish church for centuries. Its origins are medieval, though the sources disagree on the date: the town council documents it from the 13th century, while the Natural Park leaflet dates it to the 12th.

The building you see today has been rebuilt several times. The town council describes it as late Renaissance in style, with a square bell tower, openings on each side and a top decorated with small pilasters. Of the earlier church, a late Romanesque window and several reused basalt blocks in the walls survive.

Centuries of destruction

The church's story is the story of the village itself, exposed high on its rock. According to the town council's heritage inventory:

• The 1428 earthquake destroyed it; that quake killed around a quarter of the population.
• French troops badly damaged it in 1657 and 1658.
• In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, it was set on fire.
• Between 1939 and 1944 Mass was held in another building in the village, until the new church, in the modern part, was finished. The old one was abandoned.

In the mid-1980s, local people led the push to restore it as a cultural centre. The restoration combined glass, iron and the original stone, and today the town council presents it as the Església Museu, the church museum.

Visiting and opening hours

According to the town council (checked in October 2026), entry to the church is free and climbing the bell tower costs 1 euro for anyone aged 12 or over; under-12s go free. The published opening hours for 2026 are:

• 7 March to 21 June and 12 September to 20 December: Saturdays 11 am–2 pm and 4–7 pm; Sundays and public holidays 11 am–2 pm.
• 22 June to 11 September: every day 10:30 am–2 pm and 4–7:30 pm, except Tuesdays, when it is closed.

The page published special opening hours for Easter week. Between 21 December and early March it gives no opening times. Opening hours change from year to year, so check the church's official page before you go.

What to see

• The bell tower. Femturisme suggests it as an alternative to the viewpoint for seeing the landscape from higher up, and from the top you get a bird's-eye view of the village, as in the photo from the bell tower published on Wikimedia Commons.
• The restored interior. The mix of old stone, glass and iron from the 1980s restoration.
• The walls. The reused basalt blocks and the Romanesque window are what's left of the medieval church.

From the church, the cobbled path of the Via Annia leads down towards the vegetable gardens and the Toronell. It's one of the most characterful stretches of the walking route.