History

Tradition and modernity come together to create a charmingly magical place

A home and a family with a long history

The well-documented origins of our ancestral home date back to the 15th century, although oral history has passed down stories that stretch back into the darkness of the High Middle Ages (12th century).

The Rosàs – Majó family has owned the estate ever since, passing from fathers to sons uninterruptedly, except during the Spanish Civil War when it was confiscated and later returned.

The estate was historically known as Can Majó, as my great-grandmother Montserrat Majó i Mas inherited the home and married the heir to the Rosàs family, Albert Rosàs i Macià, in 1901.

The Masia Rosàs complex has three well-defined elements:

The estate and the property in the early 20th century

The estate and the property in the early 20th century

The traditional Catalan estate

The heart of the home (where the bride's room is currently located) dates back to the 15th century and the main side façades are from the 18th century, when the manor was expanded and the family and its wealth grew. What is now the great hall used to be the storeroom and wine cellar, built in the early 20th century.

Remains of the original sgraffito at the estate from early 1914

Remains of the original sgraffito at the estate from early 1914

The property

The original entrance to the manor is through the large gate leading into the property, where we find the impressive façade, 18th century porch and a splendid forecourt of more than 600 m² with bricks and blocks from the 18th and 19th centuries. The wall around the property and the gates were completed in the early 19th century with stones and materials taken from the remains of the granary at the Monastery of Sant Cugat, which was dismantled during the Confiscation of Mendizábal and the Carlist revolt of 1835.

My great-great-grandfather Joan Majó, great-great-grandmother Maria Mas and "Uncle Francisquet” Majó with my great-aunt Rosa Rosàs Majó at the entrance to the manor in 1915

My great-great-grandfather Joan Majó, great-great-grandmother Maria Mas and "Uncle Francisquet” Majó with my great-aunt Rosa Rosàs Majó at the entrance to the manor in 1915

The Noucentista house just opposite the manor

The house dates back to 1933 and was built by my great-grandmother Montserrat when she inherited the property, as the main manor house needed a massive renovation to make it suitable for modern life.

FROM WINE AND WOOD TO EVENTS

Over the centuries, the estate and the family have adapted to the changing social and economic situation around them, which is very clear if we look back at what the manor has been used for over this time.

My great-great-grandfather Joan Majó working in the fields in the first decade of the 20th century

My great-great-grandfather Joan Majó working in the fields in the first decade of the 20th century

Agriculture

From the 15th to the late 19th centuries, Can Majó was an important producer of red, sweet and fortified wines, even beginning to export its products overseas before the phylloxera epidemic reached Sant Cugat.  In the best times, the estate produced nearly 180,000 litres of wine. Plus, the estate was also a noteworthy source of firewood, from the family's holdings called "Bosch Gran" in what is now Collserola Natural Park. This forest was known as "La Hucha" (the piggy bank) in those days for its financial importance.

In the early 20th century, the vineyards had to be replanted after suffering from phylloxera, although they would never return to their former glory and many of the family's fields in Valldoreix were abandoned. Then came the idea of making Valldoreix into a "garden city" of summer homes for families living in Barcelona, taking advantage of the train designed by the engineer Pearson.

El antiguo almacén y taller de camiones, hoy parte del comedor y lavabos.The former storeroom and vehicle workshop, now part of the dining room and toilets

The former storeroom and vehicle workshop, now part of the dining room and toilets

The estate in the 1950s

The estate in the 1950s

From agriculture to construction

After the vineyards, my great-great-grandfather Joan Majó i Borrell decided to plant almond and fruit trees on the estate. At the same time, he moved forward with the project to subdivide the property and sell plots for single-family homes. From 1930 to 1990, the family developed Valldoreix and La Floresta through the company “URBANIZACIONES MAJÓ”, as one of the largest landholders in Sant Cugat del Vallès. With the help of other large landowners in Valldoreix, in 1930 Valldoreix got a train station, which would spur on development, going from a town with 20 homes to a "city" with 9,000 inhabitants today.

With most of the land being used for development and the manor uninhabited (the last person to live there, until 1940, was my great-great-grandmother Maria Mas), my grandfather Josep Rosàs i Majó decided to turn the estate into a centre to distribute construction and transport materials after the Civil War. This lasted until early 1970, when this activity was discontinued and the estate was finally abandoned.

From abandoned to a benchmark for weddings

From the early 1970s until 1985, the estate was abandoned and in a very sorry state. It wasn't until 1986 that the decision was made to fully restore the estate and make it a one-of-a-kind place to hold exclusive events. That was the year my father, Jesús Rosàs Hevia, inherited the property. From a very young age, he had always known that Can Majó had great potential for weddings. He was the driving force behind what the estate is today and was the one with the vision and bravery to carry out the huge renovation.

That was when he decided to change the name of the estate to “Masia Rosàs”, as it seemed more commercial and, incidentally, also updated the surname.

On 10 July 1987, we hosted the first wedding on the estate. We still have video of that great day, which we remember as an incredible event that filled us with pride and satisfaction. In 1988, we inaugurated the great hall and ever since the estate has been used exclusively for weddings, business events and intimate family celebrations.
Since 1987, more than 1,100 events have been held here and the estate has welcomed over 250,000 guests.

The adventurer in the family, "Uncle Marcelino" Majó, and Francesca Borrell, my great-great-grandfather's mother, in the late 1880s

The adventurer in the family, "Uncle Marcelino" Majó, and Francesca Borrell, my great-great-grandfather's mother, in the late 1880s

Interior of the chemist's shop in La Havana run by the adventurer in the family, "Uncle Marcelino" Majó Borrell.

Interior of the chemist's shop in La Havana run by the adventurer in the family, "Uncle Marcelino" Majó Borrell.

On hereus, pubilles and cabalers

The survival and importance of the estate are closely tied to a very Catalan tradition: inheritance practices.

The extensive documentation in our family archives tells us how the family was organised in those times, when the heir (hereu) took over the estate and the other siblings, called cabalers, went to the cities to work as professionals or married other heirs or pubilles (female heirs in families without male descendants) from large ancestral estates in the Vallès or Baix Llobregat regions. In our family, most of the non-inheriting Majó siblings went to the Maresme, Barcelona or Rubí. Some even went to Cuba!

My great-great uncle Marcel·lí Majó i Borrell moved to La Havana in late 1879, where he set up several chemist's shops with other Catalans in Cuba. Memories and reminiscences of people who were born at the estate.

Plano de Valldoreix a principios de 1910: sólo masías y el proyecto de tren.Map of Valldoreix from early 1910: only estates and the projected train line

Map of Valldoreix from early 1910: only estates and the projected train line

The first project to create the garden city of Valldoreix from the majority of the Can Majó lands from the early 20th century

The first project to create the garden city of Valldoreix from the majority of the Can Majó lands from the early 20th century

Living history of Sant Cugat and Valldoreix

The Rosàs – Majó family has always had very close ties to Sant Cugat and Valldoreix. Very liberal in his thinking, in the 19th century the grandfather of my great-great-grandfather, Francesc de Asís Majó i Fatjó, took part in the Peninsular War as a very young man. He became head of the Liberal Militia and mayor of Sant Cugat del Vallès for most of the time between 1830 and 1850.  He also led the revolt of 1835 against the Carlists and the Monastery of Sant Cugat, taking advantage to force the last monks to leave and burn the monastery documents that gave the church power over most of the property in Sant Cugat.

This involvement in local politics has been common among the past 5 generations, with my great-grandfather Albert Rosàs i Macià serving as mayor of Sant Cugat from 1945 to 1947 and my father Jesús Rosàs acting as mayor of Valldoreix.

Beyond political activities, Can Majó was also an important driving force for the current city model in Valldoreix, which only has single-family homes and is not oversaturated from subdividing properties, as is seen in Rubí, Terrassa and Cerdanyola. Among others, Can Majó ceded huge tracts of land for public schools in Valldoreix in the early 1960s.

All of this rich history, full of anecdotes and details, has been passed down from parents to children and is reflected today in the estate. There is a reason behind every nook and cranny of the estate. And I would love to explain it to you in person.

 

Josep Rosàs i Espejo