Ancient times Human settlement in the valley around Sant Joan de les Abadesses dates to prehistoric times, and archeological research has found evidence of settlements in the region from the
Lower Paleolithic era. It seems that the area was not very much Romanized, despite the fact that a branch of the
Via Augusta went up the valley towards the
Col d'Ares pass through the
Pyrenee Mountains.
Middle Ages 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. This was one of the first
nunneries founded in
Catalonia, and its first abbess was
Emma of Barcelona, daughter of Wilfred. The
Benedictine community grew in wealth and importance throughout the 10th century. However, in 1017, the nuns, accused of violating the rules by which they were supposed to be living, were expelled in a
bull by
Pope Benedict VIII. 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. The new Augustinian monks largely rebuilt the monastery, including new churches for the monastery itself and the
parish of Saint Pol. 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. Around the monastery, the town of Sant Joan was founded. Initially, the laypeople lived around the Church of Sant Pol, in the neighborhood today known as El Raval. But the town's growing population necessitated the construction of a walled town (the Vila Vella) on land that had been known as El Vinyal. This part of the town was home to numerous
medieval guilds. As time passed, power in the town shifted from religious to secular. The town became a
Carlist capital, and suffered the consequences of wars with nearby France, as well as industrialization and social change.
Contemporary era In the mid-19th century, coal mining began in
Ogassa, precipitating the construction of a railroad from Sant Joan to
Barcelona. The railroad was finished on 17 October 1880. This accelerated the town's growth and industrialization. Like other towns along the Ter River, numerous
factories and
industrial colonies were built to take advantage of
hydrological power from the river. A native citizen of the town introduced concrete to the
Iberian Peninsula, and the town itself pioneered concrete manufacturing. During the
Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, the town renamed itself
Puig-Alt de Ter (High-Hill of the Ter). As the forces of
Republican Spain retreated towards the French border, many passed through the town. However, Republican soldiers destroyed bridges and the train station as they passed, to cover their retreat. After the war, the town recovered and diversified its industries. ==Main sights==