Built at the same time as the Pons lime factory and the flats of the colony, the architect is unknown. It has 225 m² distributed over two floors, attic and basement. The building has a square ground plan with a projecting body on the elevation and ground plan. The main façade faces south and has a double staircase leading to the entrance, while to the west is the entrance at street level. The exterior is entirely plastered and the only decorative elements are the door and window frames, which are made of brick. The heads of the beams of the barbican are spherical-shaped finials, reminiscent of the Gothic style. Inside, the walls are decorated with geometric borders, while the ceilings are decorated with a series of plaster vegetal themes. The promoter of Cal Pons - one of the most interesting industrial colonies in Catalonia in terms of urban planning and architecture - was Josep Pons i Enrich, born in Manresa in 1811, descendant of a Manresa family linked to the silk industry during the 18th century. Alongside the industrial space, construction also began on the dwellings where the workers of Cal Pons were to live. These dwellings, built in two different stages (1875 and 1890), form Carrer d’Orient, the most emblematic street in the colony. The stewards and foremen lived in flats attached to the factory, while the dwellings on Carrer de la Baixada and Plaça del Centre, where the shop, café, inn, bread oven and other services were located, were occupied by families linked to the colony's services. One of the most important buildings in Cal Pons, due to the services it housed, was the one built next to the church in 1893. This space included the school, the nuns‘ convent, the girls’ residence and the theatre. However, the most emblematic buildings - due to their spectacular nature - of the colony were and still are others: the church and the owners' towers. The church, inaugurated in 1887, was described by the press of the time as the ‘Cathedral of the Alt Llobregat’. The two towers, located around a garden, were built before 1885 (the old one) and in 1897 (the new one). The whole of the colony under construction was surrounded by a wall about two metres high with three gates and two doors. The gatekeepers and the watchman ensured that no worker entered or left the perimeter of the colony after 20.00 or 21.00 (depending on the time of year). This wall was demolished during the Spanish Civil War and was never rebuilt. The 1880s, while the colony was growing and the factory was already working at full capacity, were very conflictive years. The workers of Cal Pons - and of all the Catalan textile colonies and factories of the time - had to endure very hard working conditions: twelve hours a day, or more, in a factory full of dangers and discomforts and constantly having to listen to the noise of the looms and machinery. The workers of Cal Pons rebelled against this daily reality on several occasions. The most important mobilisation was the strike of 1890, which affected most of the factories and colonies of Llobregat. As a result of this strike, 150 Cal Pons workers were dismissed and expelled from the colony. In 1893, Josep Pons i Enrich died and three years later his heir, Ignasi Pons, too. From then until 1921, Lluís G. Pons, brother of the colony's founder, became the strong man of the family and the owner of Cal Pons. The situation of the colony - already built and consolidated - and the figure of the director of the factory - who controlled the economic functioning of the company and the maintenance of order and ‘social peace’ and who had his own villa from 1900 onwards - allowed Mr. Pons to focus on his political activity. It was during these years when Lluís Pons became the owner of Cal Pons that the paternalistic relationship with the workers was consolidated. Paternalism was based on an unwritten pact whereby the owner offered work, a flat, food, services, stability and security to his workers in exchange for them limiting themselves to work, obey and not break the ‘social peace’. (Continuation of Story): Like most of the colonies in Berguedà, Cal Pons remained full of life until the 1960s. From then on, things began to evolve rapidly. The factory continued to operate until 1992, but from the 1970s, and especially during the 1980s, the signs of the crisis in the textile sector were felt and the colony model also went into decline: many people left Cal Pons and the services were closing. With the closure of the factory, the whole of the colony - except for the turbine - was repossessed. When it was put up for sale - by public auction at the end of the 1990s – the Puig-reig Town Council acquired a large part of the colony's spaces.

The church, with a Latin cross floor plan, measures 32 x 16 metres across its transepts, and its main nave follows the Gothic structural system, featuring intersecting diagonal arches and a ribbed vault. Six chapels open along the lateral walls, serving as buttresses for the central nave. Just beyond the main doorway are, on one side, the baptistery, and on the other, the staircase leading up to the choir. At the crossing rises an octagonal dome supported by four flying arches. The presbytery is framed by a polygonal apse with an ambulatory surrounding the high altar; behind it lies the sacristy, with a staircase giving access to the bell tower and the pantheon-crypt. The building displays a marked vertical projection, which is also evident in the main façade, featuring a porch with two cylindrical columns topped with capitals decorated with vegetal motifs, supporting a pointed arch of small voussoirs. Beside them stand two square columns crowned by pinnacles. The porch roof has a very steep pitch and is finished with a stone cornice adorned with three fleur-de-lis on each side and a cross in the centre above. Stone gargoyles, without special ornamentation, serve as water spouts. In the upper section of the main façade stands a two-storey belfry — the upper level with one opening and the lower with two. The rear façade is also carefully executed and features a large portal with archivolts leading to the pantheon-crypt. At mid-height, five windows open to provide light to the sacristy, and above them, higher up, is a medium-sized rose window. The stained-glass windows, composed of leaded glass, are important decorative elements depicting religious scenes (Saint Faith, the Eucharist, and Baptism) and geometric motifs. The materials used in the church are rough-hewn stone and fired clay brick, except for the façades, which are built with well-cut ashlar blocks. Built in 1877 to the design of the architect José Torres i Argulló, the church came to be known as the “Cathedral of the Upper Llobregat”. Its importance increased when it received the relics of Saint Aurelia of Nice. The promoter of Cal Pons — one of the most interesting industrial colonies in Catalonia from both an urbanistic and architectural point of view — was Josep Pons i Enrich, born in Manresa in 1811, a descendant of a local family linked to the silk industryduring the eighteenth century. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, Josep Pons became a major cotton industrialist as well as a politician, founder of the Manresa Savings Bank, and promoter of the Manresa–Berga railway. In 1875, Josep Pons purchased the lands of Cal Garrigal — which he later expanded through the acquisition of nearby farm properties — with the intention of building an industrial colony. The following year he obtained permission to use the waters of the River Llobregat for industrial purposes, and he subsequently had the weir, canal, turbine hall, and factory built, which was inaugurated in 1880. Alongside the industrial area, the workers’ housing also began to be constructed. These dwellings, built in two distinct stages (1875 and 1890), form Carrer d’Orient, the most emblematic street of the colony. The stewards and overseers lived in flats adjoining the factory, while the houses in Carrer de la Baixada and Plaça del Centre — where the shop, café, inn, bakery, and other services were located — were occupied by families connected to the colony’s service sector. One of the most important buildings in Cal Pons, due to the functions it accommodated, was that constructed adjoining the church in 1893. This space included the school, convent of the nuns, girls’ residence, and theatre. However, the most emblematic buildings — owing to their spectacular character — were and still are others: the church itself and the owners’ towers. The church, inaugurated in 1887, was described by the press of the time as the “Cathedral of the Upper Llobregat”. The two towers, set within a garden, were built before 1885 (the old one) and in 1897 (the new one). The entire colony under construction was surrounded by a two-metre-high wall with three gates and two doors. The gatekeepers and the night watchman ensured that no worker entered or left the colony’s perimeter later than 8 or 9 p.m., depending on the time of year. This wall was demolished during the Spanish Civil War and was never rebuilt. Since 2009, the church has housed the Interpretation Centre of the Church of the Pons Colony, which, through three museum spaces, explains the role played by the Church in the consolidation of the industrial colony system in Catalonia, from the perspective of both the workers and the colony owners. The Interpretation Centre employs modern interpretive systems and state-of-the-art audiovisual techniques, which successfully transport visitors into an evocative and immersive environment. The museographic project focuses on three spaces within the religious building — the Chapel of Saint Lucy, the choir, and the crypt — and is integrated harmoniously with the church itself, fully compatible with its continuing religious function, which includes regular Mass services and liturgical acts that the Interpretation Centre always respects.

Torre Nova was completed in 1897. It is a square building with two polygonal bodies – one to the east, where the main entrance is located, and the other to the west in the form of a tribune. It has a ground floor, two storeys and an attic. The exterior is completely plastered, although the façade is currently in very poor condition. The only decoration is on the doors and windows and is clearly Gothic in style, with floral decorations, medieval bestiary decorations and gargoyles. The openings are also framed by mouldings reminiscent of the pattern of the old tower (BIPPC 36). The decorative repertoire in the interior is noteworthy, especially in the vestibule, where allegorical themes are depicted on the continents. The halls are profusely decorated with themes appropriate to their functions. The driving force behind Cal Pons - one of the most interesting industrial colonies in Catalonia in terms of town planning and architecture - was Josep Pons i Enrich, born in Manresa in 1811, descendant of a Manresa family linked to the silk industry during the 18th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, Josep Pons became an important cotton industrialist who was also a politician, founder of the Caja de Manresa and promoter of the Manresa railway in Berga. In 1875, Josep Pons bought the land of Cal Garrigal - which he later extended with the purchase of more land from surrounding country houses - with the intention of building an industrial colony. The following year he obtained permission for the industrial use of water from the Llobregat river and then had the lock, the canal, the turbine hall and the factory built, which was inaugurated in 1880. One of the most important buildings at Cal Pons, due to the services it housed, was the one built next to the church in 1893. This space included the school, the nuns‘ convent, the girls’ residence and the theatre. However, the most emblematic buildings - due to their spectacular nature - of the colony were and still are others: the church and the owners' towers. The church, inaugurated in 1887, was described by the press of the time as the ‘Cathedral of the Alt Llobregat’. The two towers, located around a garden, were built before 1885 (the old one) and in 1897 (the new one). The whole of the colony under construction was surrounded by a wall about two metres high with three gates and two doors. The gatekeepers and the watchman ensured that no worker entered or left the perimeter of the colony after 20.00 or 21.00 (depending on the time of year). This wall was demolished during the Civil War and was never rebuilt. In 1893, Josep Pons i Enrich died, and three years later, his heir, Ignasi Pons, too. From then until 1921, Lluís G. Pons, brother of the colony's founder, became the strong man of the family and the owner of Cal Pons. The situation of the colony - already built and consolidated - and the figure of the director of the factory - who controlled the economic functioning of the company and the maintenance of order and ‘social peace’ and who had his own villa from 1900 onwards - allowed Mr. Pons to focus on his political activity. It was during these years when Lluís Pons became the owner of Cal Pons that the paternalistic relationship with the workers was consolidated. Paternalism was based on an unwritten pact whereby the owner offered work, a flat, food, services, stability and security to his workers in exchange for them working, obeying and not breaking the ‘social peace’. Like most of the colonies in Berguedà, Cal Pons remained in full swing and full of life until the 1960s. From then on, things began to evolve rapidly. The factory continued to operate until 1992, but from the 1970s, and especially during the 1980s, the signs of the crisis in the textile sector were felt and the colony model also went into decline: many people left Cal Pons and the services were closing. With the closure of the factory, the whole of the colony - except for the turbine - was repossessed. When it was put up for sale - by public auction at the end of the 1990s – the Puig-reig Town Council acquired a large part of the colony's spaces. In 1908, King Alfonso XIII of Spain stayed in this house. It is now owned by the Puig-reig Town Council, which plans to locate the new municipal offices.

The Pons colony is characterised by the fact that it is one of the textile colonies that was established and developed in a relatively short period of time (1875-1910), which gives it a great sense of unity. The two owners' towers, the director's tower and the church are the most emblematic buildings of Cal Pons, together with the garden. In 1908, King Alfonso XIII travelled to the Llobregat basin and paid a visit to the Pons colony. Church of Sant Josep The church has a Latin cross plan and is 32 metres long. The main nave is covered with a ribbed vault, and the side chapels act as buttresses for the central nave. At the intersection of the main nave and the transept there is an octagonal dome. The polygonal apse has an ambulatory that leads to the crypt and the sacristy. In 1879, the isolated bell tower was erected and in 1907 the family pantheon was built, where Lluís Pons i Enrich and his wife, Anna Roca, were buried. Externally, the church has a haughty appearance reinforced by the dome, the bell tower and the set of pinnacles. The main façade, facing south, is made of well-cut ashlars, while the rest of the building harmoniously combines rubble stone with brick. It is a neo-Gothic building that was constructed in sixteen months, the work of the architect Josep Torres i Argullol. The interior was decorated by Francesc Morell, brother of the factory manager at the time. School, convent, theatre and girls' home. The buildings have two storeys: the ground floor was used as a school and the upper floor was used as a convent, the priest's home and the residence for working girls. Like the rest of the buildings in the colony, the construction materials used were stone for the walls and brick for the windows and doors. The old tower (a fortified town before 1885) and the new tower (inaugurated in 1897) are monumental buildings in a medieval historicist style. They were designed as medieval castles surrounded by gardens. The old tower was the first to be built. It is a solid but slender building, with a very marked central body. The Catalan spiral staircase stands out. It is eclectic in style with a Gothic influence. The new tower is a large construction built on a rock at the end of the colony's gardens. In its structure, the central body predominates over both sides. The main façade, with a double staircase, faces north. The exterior walls combine brick, plaster and mosaics. It has many medieval-style decorative details: capitals with bestiary, floral decoration, gargoyles, blind arches on the eaves of the roof, etc. In the entrance hall there are allegorical paintings that refer to the continents of America, Africa, Asia and Europe. It is a landscape in the background with a female figure who brings some element that refers to each continent. In the representation of Europe, the background landscape is the Pons colony seen from the foot of the Llobregat. It was initially the continuous residence of the owners, later it served as a second residence and in the mid-20th century the furniture was auctioned off and it was converted into a towel factory. The architect of these two buildings is unknown. However, it seems that it could have been Josep Torres i Argullol or Alexandre Soler i March, architects who worked for the Pons family. The director's villa was built before 1900, it is more austere and smaller, and its architect is also unknown. The garden When the colony was designed, the intention was to turn the estate into an enclosed garden that would isolate it from the outside world. The garden was for the private use of the owners of the colony and the director's family. But when the Pons family were not there, the workers could use the garden and the adjoining forest. In this space there was a great diversity of plant species (some of which have since disappeared): banana trees, lime trees, mulberry trees, trumpet trees, horse chestnut trees, palm trees, poplars, holm oaks, fir trees... In the private garden of the new tower, two 1900s gazebos made of brick and wood stand out, overlooking the Llobregat river and the colony. Until the 1950s and 1960s, the colony was the most active cultural centre in the municipality of Puig-reig. The magazine “Colònia Pons” was published and the Home School and the School of Labour linked to the Industrial School of Barcelona were created. The factory workers received training that was truly cutting edge at the regional level. On 25 March 1886, construction began on the church of the Pons colony dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat. It was consecrated on 10 August 1897. It was built at the same time as the large factory, the workers' housing and the two towers. In the mid-20th century, and especially in the wake of the Spanish Civil War, the towers where the owners resided were abandoned and a progressive deterioration of the cultural activities and the park, which had an interesting collection of exotic birds, began. The moments of splendour of the Pons colony coincide with the early days of its existence, between 1880 and 1930.