Barcelona · Cataluña
Centelles
- Province
- Barcelona
- Status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 7864
- Elevation
- 496 m
Centelles is a heritage town in the province of Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain. Population 7864 (2025), elevation 496m.
A walled Catalan town whose single surviving medieval gateway, baroque church, and castle ruins trace eight centuries of baronial and later county history in the hills of Barcelona province.
Key facts
- Province
- Barcelona
- Heritage status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 7864 (2025)
- Elevation
- 496 m
History of Centelles
Centelles first appears in records in 898. The lords of Sant Martí castle adopted the town's name and rose to become barons, while the population gathered around the church of Santa Coloma de Pujolric. Over time the barons moved their residence to the church's sacred precinct, and the barony eventually became the county of Centellas.
Baron Lluís I later ordered the town walled, giving it its current name. Three gates once opened through those walls — Sant Antoni, Amunt (or Sant Martí), and the Nou — of which only the Nou survives today.
Heritage & Monuments
The baroque church of Santa Coloma is the town's main landmark. Remnants of the walls of Centellas castle can still be seen, along with the main square and the Capilla del Socós. Outside the town, the Hermitage of Sant Andreu — associated with local witch folklore — and the nearby cave known as the Cova de la Bruixa de Fernando add an unusual layer to the area's heritage landscape.
Where to eat in Centelles
Ratings & restaurant data from Google.
Regional food & drink
Cataluña is known for Pa amb tomàquet, Escalivada and Calçots, among 6 regional specialities.
Watch: Cava
Location
Quick answers
Is Centelles worth visiting?▾
A walled Catalan town whose single surviving medieval gateway, baroque church, and castle ruins trace eight centuries of baronial and later county history in the hills of Barcelona province.
Why is Centelles a heritage town?▾
Centelles is officially designated a Conjunto Histórico — Spain's national protection for historic town ensembles (Conjuntos Históricos).
What is the traditional food in Cataluña?▾
Cataluña is known for Pa amb tomàquet, Escalivada, Calçots and Botifarra. You'll find these regional specialities in and around Centelles.
Which heritage towns are near Centelles?▾
Nearby heritage towns include Castellterçol, Moià, L'Estany and Vic.
Where is Centelles?▾
Centelles lies in the Osona comarca, in the province of Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain.
How big is Centelles?▾
Centelles has a population of about 7864 (2025), and sits at 496 m above sea level.
Nearby heritage towns
Perched on a cold Catalan hilltop in Barcelona province, Castellterçol carries more than eleven centuries of history, from its ninth-century castle origins to Bourbon skirmishes fought in its streets.
A Catalan market town with written records stretching back to 912, where a 10th-century parish church still holds its original consecration deed and the birthplace of avant-garde theatre group La Fura dels Baus sits among forests, farmhouses, and prehistoric caves.
In the Barcelona province of Cataluña, L'Estany is built around one of Catalonia's great Romanesque monasteries, its 72 sculpted cloister capitals and stone village streets drawing visitors to a place shaped by nearly a thousand years of monastic life.
The ancient capital of the Osona region, Vic carries two thousand years of continuous history — from an Iberian tribal centre and Roman temple to a medieval cathedral city whose seminary shaped the literary revival of Catalonia.
A Roman spa town in Barcelona province where 74°C thermal waters have drawn visitors since antiquity, preserving the best-surviving Roman baths on the Iberian Peninsula.
Visiting from a nearby city?
Centelles makes a great day trip from:
Last updated 30 August 2026.