Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsaɲ ʒuˈan də ləz əβəˈðɛsəs]) is a town and municipality located in the south-east of the comarca of Ripollès, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.

The origins of the present town lie in the founding of the Monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses by Wilfred the Hairy in 887.

[2] This expulsion initiated a period of instability that lasted until the re-establishment of canons of the order of Saint Augustine in the 12th century and with the patronage of Ramon Berenguer III.

New cultural importance and splendor was brought to the monastery in this period, as evidenced by its extensive archive of troubadour songs from this era.

The town became a Carlist capital, and suffered the consequences of wars with nearby France, as well as industrialization and social change.

In the mid-19th century, coal mining began in Ogassa, precipitating the construction of a railroad from Sant Joan to Barcelona.