Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Bigues i Riells del Fai

What to see and do in Bigues i Riells del Fai (Vallès Oriental, Barcelona): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Nature

How far each place is from the centre of Bigues i Riells del Fai

Castle of Montbui 4.2 km
Sant Miquel del Fai 5.4 km

Towns near Bigues i Riells del Fai

Spain › Catalonia › Barcelona › Vallès Oriental › Bigues i Riells del Fai

What to see and do in Bigues i Riells del Fai

Bigues i Riells del Fai
Village
Bigues i Riells del Fai is a municipality of the Vallès Oriental, with its seat in Bigues, home to the Romanesque and Gothic sanctuary of Sant Miquel del Fai, a former Benedictine monastery in a spectacular gorge, accessible from Sant Feliu de Codines. Formed by the settlements of Bigues and Riells del Fai —with separate town councils until the mid-19th century— and by the former parish of Sant Mateu de Montbui, the municipality was created in 1831 after the dissolution of the Barony of Montbui, under the name of Sant Pere de Bigues. The Tenes river crosses it from northwest to southeast, from the mountainous Moianès to the plain of the Vallès; to the north it is bordered by the Cingles de Bertí, and its highest point is Puiggraciós, at 808.8 metres. The Rieral de Bigues, seat of the town hall, took shape in the 19th century.
Castle of Montbui
Monument
A castle situated at 541 meters above sea level in the municipality of Bigues i Riells del Fai (Vallès Oriental, Barcelona), documented since the year 987. It combines Romanesque and Gothic elements; today only some walls are preserved, with the trapezoidal floor plan visible and the north wall relatively well preserved. It first belonged to the Besora family, passed to the bishopric of Barcelona in 1240, which rebuilt it in 1308, and later to the Council of One Hundred in 1490 and to the Bourbon crown in 1714. It fell into ruin around 1833 and was declared a historic monument in 1949.
The Tower (Bigues i Riells)
Monument
A historic farmhouse in the center of Bigues, in the municipality of Bigues i Riells del Fai (Vallès Oriental, Barcelona), built in the 16th century in Gothic style at 233 meters above sea level. The central body, square in plan, houses the watch and defense tower that gives the complex its name, to which up to eight houses are attached, forming a small cluster. It is listed as Elemento de Interés Municipal (a local-level heritage protection listing) and appears in the inventory of Catalan architectural heritage.
Sant Miquel del Fai
Monument
The sanctuary of Sant Miquel del Fai stands on a cliff at the head of the Sant Miquel valley, in the area of the Cingles de Bertí, in the municipality of Bigues i Riells del Fai (Vallès Oriental). The priory was founded by Gombau de Besora, lord of the castle of Montbui, after receiving the donation of the alou of Fai in the year 997, around the cave where Saint Michael the Archangel was venerated; in 1042 it became linked to the monastery of Sant Víctor de Marseille. The present building, a fine example of Catalan Gothic, was erected in the 15th century over the earlier church. Below the monastery, the Rossinyol stream forms a waterfall and, a little further on, the larger Rossinyol waterfall, at the foot of which open the caves of Sant Miquel, a hollow carved out by water. The complex reopened to the public in 2023.
Gorge of Sant Miquel del Fai
Nature
The Sant Miquel del Fai gorge opens beneath the Bertí crags, at the head of the Tenes valley (Bigues i Riells del Fai, Vallès Oriental). The Rossinyol stream forms a small pool beside the priory and then plunges into a waterfall; below it lie the Coves de Sant Miquel, a large cave hollowed out by the water over the centuries. The sanctuary, founded around 1006 by Gombau de Besora following a donation made in 997, housed Benedictine monks until the 16th century; the current building dates from the 15th century, though it retains a Romanesque church carved entirely out of the rock, unique in Catalonia.
Caves of Sant Miquel del Fai
Nature
Karstic cavities located at the foot of the Sant Miquel del Fai monastery, in the municipality of Bigues i Riells del Fai, within the Cingles de Bertí natural area, in the Vallès Oriental. The Rossinyol stream, which flows past the priory, forms a first waterfall with a small reservoir before reaching it, and just below the monastery it plunges into the impressive Rossinyol waterfall, at the foot of which the water has carved out the coves de Sant Miquel over the centuries, a large cavity hollowed out of the rock. The monastery that crowns them, built in the 15th century over an earlier church, is a notable example of Catalan Gothic and is part of the Barcelona Provincial Council's Network of Natural Parks; it reopened to the public on 22 April 2023.