Els Dolors Convent of Vila-rodona

Convent of Sant Llorenç de Vila-rodona / Servites of Vila-rodona

(Vila-rodona, Alt Camp)

Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
Els Dolors of Vila-rodona

Els Dolors Convent of Vila-rodona was a Servite friary founded in 1599 in an act involving the town’s representatives and Cristóbal de Borja, Vicar General of the Servite Order, with the support of the Bishop of Barcelona. As part of this process, a pre-existing church dedicated to Saint Lawrence was ceded to them.

Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
Els Dolors of Vila-rodona

The convent is documented under both the dedication of Sant Llorenç Lawrence and that of Mare de Déu dels Dolors (Our Lady of Sorrows). There is evidence of significant construction work carried out on both the church and the convent during the second half of the 18th century. The building was particularly affected during the Liberal Triennium, a period when the house was looted. Following the ecclesiastical confiscations of 1835, the convent was abandoned, the church suffered significant damage, and the conventual buildings were demolished; it was even temporarily used as a cemetery. Today, no visible remains of the conventual structures survive, but the church retains much of its original architecture.

Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
Els Dolors of Vila-rodona
The Servite emblem

Bibliography:
  • BARRAQUER Y ROVIRALTA, Cayetano (1906). Las casas de religiosos en Cataluña durante el primer tercio del siglo XIX. Barcelona: Imp. Fco. J. Altés
  • FELIU DE LA PEÑA, Narciso (1709). Anales de Cataluña. Barcelona
  • GAVÍN, Josep M. (1980). Inventari d'esglésies. Vol. 6. Barcelona: Artestudi
  • SANTESMASES I OLLÉ, Josep (2008). La utilització de l'església del convent de Sant Llorenç com a cementiri de Vila-rodona, durant la primera carlinada. La Resclosa, núm. 12
  • SUBIRANAS FÀFREGAS, Carme (2015). Memòria de l'estudi arqueològic realitzat a l'església de Sant Llorenç de Vila-Rodona. Nau lateral sud

Location:
Vista aèria

The Church of Sant Llorenç, linked to the Els Dolors Convent, is located on the outskirts of Vila-rodona, to the north of the town