Sant Miquel del Fai, Gothic monastery and church in Bigues i Riells del Fai, Spain

Sant Miquel del Fai is a monastery with a church that sits partly inside a natural cave network carved into limestone cliffs. The complex combines carved chambers with built walls, creating interconnected rooms where the boundary between cave and construction blurs.

Gombau de Besora, lord of Montbui castle, received the Fai estate from Counts Ramon Borrell and Ermessenda on 11 June 997, and a Benedictine community was already installed by 1006 under abbot Guillemund. In 1042 the house was attached as a priory to Saint-Victor of Marseille. Secularised in 1567, it passed to the archdeacons of Girona, who built the rock-cut stairway in 1592; the priory was abolished in 1832 and sold off in 1835.

The monastery's name comes from the archangel Michael, venerated in the cave before the monastery was founded. The Romanesque church of Sant Miquel, built entirely inside a rock shelter, is the only one of its kind in Catalonia. The priory house, built in the 15th century, served for years as a hostel and keeps its original layout.

The site is accessible by car but sits in a remote mountainous area with paths toward the river valley. The terrain is rocky and can be slippery, so sturdy footwear is important and plan time to explore the various levels and chambers.

A waterfall from the Tenes River flows nearby and shapes the limestone landscape around the complex. The flowing water has carved the rock formations over centuries, becoming part of the site's natural setting.