Cloister
In 1578, the Capuchins expressed their desire to establish themselves in the lands of Tarragona and were granted the church of Magdalena de Valls. However, they considered its proximity to the town unsuitable for their monastic life. Finally, in 1579, they inaugurated their convent at the chapel of Sant Jeroni, a location with many deficiencies, as it was more of a hermitage than a proper convent.
Lledó Sanctuary
In Valls, since the mid-14th century, there had been the sanctuary of Lledó, linked to a tradition according to which a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary was found in a hackberry tree (“lledó”) in the Castelló forest. This image was taken to the parish church, but according to legend, it miraculously returned to the forest. Between 1376 and 1434, this sanctuary became a priory of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, dependent on Santa Anna de Barcelona. Given the difficulties faced by the Capuchins at Sant Jeroni, the Archbishop of Tarragona proposed that the friars relocate to the Lledó sanctuary, a proposal that was accepted and formalized in 1586 with Santa Anna de Barcelona, which retained certain rights over the site.
During the 17th century, the Capuchins undertook significant improvement works on the house. In the 18th century, due to the imminent risk of ruin, they were forced to carry out further renovations. By the 19th century, the convent was affected by the Peninsular War, and in 1809, the friars were forced to abandon it, although the damage caused was minor. During the Liberal Triennium (1821-1823), they had to leave once again, and in 1835, they were definitively exclaustrated. Later, the building was converted into a Charity House, and between 1880 and 1890, a new building was constructed adjacent to the church. Since 1973, the complex has been considered a parish.
Church
Private collection
Cloister
Photo of the Cuyàs Family (n.d.)
Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya
Provincia Cataloniae cum confinijs (1649)
Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya
Photo by Gaietà Barraquer (1891)
Published in Las casas de religiosos...
Lledó Sanctuary
- BARRAQUER Y ROVIRALTA, Cayetano (1906). Las casas de religiosos en Cataluña durante el primer tercio del siglo XIX. Vol. 2. Barcelona: Imp. Fco. J. Altés
- BASILI DE RUBÍ (1977). Un segle de vida caputxina a Catalunya. 1564-1664. Barcelona: Caputxins de Sarrià
- FABRA I SALVAT, Ester (1990). Sant Llorenç del Bosch (les ermites de Sant Llorenç i Sant Jeroni, la muntanya de la vila i el bosch de Valls). Quaderns de Vilaniu, núm. 17
- GAVÍN, Josep M. (1980). Inventari d'esglésies. Vol. 6. Barcelona: Artestudi
- PUIGJANER Y GUAL, Francisco (1881). Historia de la Villa de Valls desde su fundación hasta nuestros días. Valls: Imp. Francisco Pellisser
- TUSET VALLET, Jordi (2001). Història del santuari de la Mare de Déu del Lledó. Valls: Institut d´estudis Vallencs
The sanctuary is located at the end of Passeig dels Caputxins, north of the city.