The Charterhouse of Santa Maria de Scala Dei was founded in 1194 by King Alfonso II of Aragon (known as Alfonso the Chaste) and is the first Carthusian monastery built on the Iberian Peninsula. The domain of the charterhouse's prior is the origin of the comarca's name —priorat— and the monks introduced vine-growing, documented from 1263, the root of today's DOQ Priorat. In 1218 King James I granted the monks jurisdiction over the neighbouring villages.
The complex, at the foot of the Montsant cliff, had a church consecrated in 1228, with an initial cloister (the Maius) housing twelve monks; a second cloister was added in 1333 and a third, with six more cells, in 1403. During the 16th-18th centuries it flourished as a regional artistic centre — the painter Joaquim Juncosa worked there — and one of only two surviving 17th-century Catalan cookery manuscripts was written within its walls.
Following the 1835 Mendizábal disentailment decrees, the monastery was sacked and burned down a few days later, and its conventual buildings were nearly entirely destroyed within two years. Since 1989 the ruins have been managed by the Catalan government's Department of Culture, which has opened them to public visits. Visitors today tour the ruins of the church, the cloisters and the refectory, aided by a virtual reconstruction that helps picture the original monastery.
- Best forhistory, photography, wine heritage, families
- OpeningManaged by the Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural. Tue-Sat 10-17.30 h (1 Oct-30 Apr) and 10-19 h (1 May-30 Sep); Sundays and public holidays 10-15 h. General admission €7, reduced €5; guided tour €9. Closed on Mondays that are not public holidays, 1 and 6 Jan, 25 and 26 Dec.
- Price€
- AddressCamí de la Cartoixa, s/n, 43379 Escaladei (la Morera de Montsant)
- Phone+34 977 827 006
🧭 Part of: A day from Barcelona: Escaladei and Siurana, A weekend in the Priorat
ℹ️ Hours and prices can change: check with the establishment before you visit.
Photo: Lohen11 - Josep Renalias · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: patrimoni.gencat.cat · en.wikipedia.org · turismepriorat.org
Last updated: August 2026