Our Lady of Guidance Cross and Chapel

The Chapel of the Mare de Déu de la Guia (Virgin of the Guide) is a modest hermitage located on the right bank of the Cardener River, at the foot of the Santa Caterina hill. Formerly known as the “Oratory of Na Bastardes,” it was erected in the mid-16th century. Originally, it stood at the foot of the Pont Vell, where the road connecting Manresa and Montserrat arrived. Beside the oratory, the hermit’s house and a boundary or humilladero cross were built, the latter giving its name to the architectural ensemble. Travelers and pilgrims of all times would entrust themselves to the divine protection of the Virgin of the Guide, patroness of pilgrims, couriers, and messengers.

According to oral and written popular tradition, the Guia complex was the first place in Manresa properly visited by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, just before crossing the Cardener River. Some testimonies of the future saint’s stay in Manresa recount an extraordinary event related to the boundary cross beside the hermitage. According to these chronicles, on March 25, 1522, coinciding with the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Ignatius is said to have experienced a vision while resting at the foot of this cross.

In 1856, due to the construction of the railway lines connecting Barcelona, Lleida, and Zaragoza, the chapel was moved to its current location. The church that can be seen today was built in 1922.