Some objects become legend before they become history. The Cross of Sant Joan de les Abadesses is one of them: for decades it has been described as a treasure lost forever during the Spanish Civil War, still sought today by treasure hunters. The reality, documented by the museum that holds it, is different — and in many ways even more interesting.
A silver masterpiece from 1388
The cross was made in 1388 by the Girona silversmith Pere Serra, commissioned to replace an earlier processional cross that was already badly damaged. It is a piece of Gothic silver goldsmithing from the monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, in the Ripollès region, one of the most important religious centers of medieval Catalonia.
The Civil War legend
It is often said that a convoy, in February 1939, lost track of this cross somewhere between Agullana and La Jonquera while transporting Catalan artistic heritage toward the French border, fleeing the advance of Franco's troops. According to the legend, the cross was lost forever in that chaotic evacuation.
What the legend gets wrong
It is true that part of the treasure of the monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses was lost during the Republican retreat of 1939 through the Alt Empordà — and that part genuinely remains unresolved. But the Cross of Sant Joan de les Abadesses itself is not one of those lost pieces: it survived and can be seen today, restored, at the Museu Episcopal de Vic.
A restoration that revealed a real secret
Between 2016 and 2017, the cross underwent a restoration process that uncovered a genuine surprise: inside it were two small sets of relics wrapped in ancient fabrics, along with parchments documenting earlier restorations carried out in the 16th and 17th centuries. No legend was needed to find a real mystery inside this piece.
Where to see it today
The cross is part of the permanent goldsmithing collection of the Museu Episcopal de Vic (MEV), catalogued under number 855, and can be visited in the hall dedicated to medieval metalwork.
At Ca l'Antic we're fascinated by these stories because they remind us that behind every antique piece there is often more than one version of events. You can see our available goldsmithing and metal pieces in the Ca l'Antic catalogue.
References
Museu Episcopal de Vic. (n.d.). Creu de Sant Joan de les Abadesses (MEV 855) [Collection record]. Museu Episcopal de Vic. https://www.museuartmedieval.cat/en/colleccions/gold-and-silver-work/cross-of-sant-joan-de-les-abadesses-mev-855
La Vanguardia. (2017, October 26). Descobreixen dos pergamins i reliquies amagades a l'interior de la Creu de Sant Joan de les Abadesses. https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/osona/20171026/432368066306/descobreixen-dos-pergamins-i-reliquies-amagades-a-linterior-de-la-creu-de-sant-joan-de-les-abadesses.html
Massot i Muntaner, J. (n.d.). El patrimoni artístic català durant la Guerra Civil (1936-1939). Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat.