Alt Pirineu

During the 11^th  and 12^th centuries, a set of churches were built in the Vall de Boí following a model from northern Italy: the Lombard Romanesque. Slender bell towers, careful stone work, decorated exteriors with blind arcades and Lombard bands... This unity of architectural style has characterised these temples and this year marks twenty-five years since they were recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
 
The Romanesque complex of the Vall de Boi is made up of the churches of Sant Climent and Santa Maria de Taull, Sant Joan de Boí, Santa Eulàlia d’Erill la Vall, Sant Feliu de Barruera, la Nativitat de Durro, Santa Maria de Cardet, Assumpció de Cóll and the hermitage of Sant Quirc de Durro.
 
The church of Sant Climent de Taüll is perhaps one of the best known as it has the image of Christ in Majesty of Taüll which has made it renowned and has been used to represent the Catalan Romanesque. Although the original now stands in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC), you can still see a section of the deep layer of the original in the temple along with other fragments of original painting, a highlight being the scene of Cain and Abel, as well as an image recreation of what the apse was like in the 12^th century.
 
Out of these churches, Santa Maria de Cardet has one of the most spectacular apses of the set. It’s also the only one with a belfry, a result of the baroque transformations that it underwent over time.
 
For a truly immersive experience and to travel back in time, visiting the Romanesque Centre of Vall de Boí, in Erill la Vall, is a real must. Thanks to the virtual reality experience The eyes of history, you can delve into the art and history of these temples while also discovering the nature, religion and medieval society that shaped this exceptional heritage.
 
You can round off your visit with hiking trails that frame art in the nature that hosts it. There are routes that run along historical paths and connect the villages in the valley, even some abandoned ones, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of the landscape all year round. And after all that walking, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the Caldes de Boí Balneari Thermal Resort. Located at an altitude of 1470 metres, it has 37 thermal springs.


A proposal brought to you in collaboration with Descobrir magazine. 

The town of Sort, steeped in Pyrenean culture, is the starting point for our getaway. In this small town nestled in the Pallars Sobirà, you simply must visit the Presó-Museu Camí de la Llibertat, a museum space that tells of the odyssey of those who crossed the Pyrenean mountains, fleeing Nazism during the Second World War.
 
On the outskirts of Sort, we find the parish church of Sant Germà, which stands on high in the abandoned village of Pernui, located 1,027 metres above sea level. It’s a small church, with a rectangular nave and bell tower. And in the village of Montardit de Baix, in the municipality of Sort, the hermitage of Mare de Déu del Soler, a building of Romanesque origin, is also well worth visiting.
 
Leaving Sort behind us, next, we’ll head for Llavorsí, a small village made up of slate roofs where the houses are staggered across the steep slopes that give form to its streets and centred by the square where the church dedicated to Santa Anna stands. Within its municipal boundaries, located on top of a small hill, we find the remains of the castle of Gilareny, the last stronghold of the county of Pallars.
 
We continue our getaway by moving towards Escaló, where we can visit Sant Pere del Burgal, an old monastery which became a female Benedictine abbey at the end of the 10th century, and which shortly afterwards went on to become a male priory. Its remains are located to the left of the Noguera Pallaresa and to the right of the gorge of Sant Pere.
 
We then move to Saurí, a small town known for the paintings in the church of Sant Víctor de Saurí, by Santi Moix. Works of art that have placed the town among the international panorama of contemporary art. Nearby, we also find the village of Bernui, where we can visit the Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Bernui.
 
Finally, we round off our getaway in Gerri de la Sal, a medieval village that preserves a fantastic historical heritage. This village is home to a sample of the Catalan Romanesque at its best, the monastery of Santa Maria, of which now only the church with the atrium or entrance portico remains. You can reach it by taking the 11th-century Romanesque bridge which crosses the Noguera Pallaresa. Also, in this municipality, we find the Presó de Gerri Tower, a medieval defence tower dating from the 13th century.

High-perched castles, paintings hidden for centuries and even elves who can't stop working for even a second, though they are not responsible for the area's excellent Romanesque style, so we believe...

You will find these and other surprises upon crossing three of the largest counties in Catalonia: the Alt Urgell, Pallars Sobirà and Pallars Jussà.

CONTROL OF THE TERRITORY

In the Serra del Montsec, dominating the Conca de Tremp, on a hill you will find a luxurious medieval pair separated by only 100 metres. The Castle of Mur and the ancient Monastery of Sant Maria are two extraordinary examples of Romanesque religious and civil architecture.

If you cross the Noguera Pallaresa river, you will arrive at another exceptional place: Llimiana contains four 11^th century churches and the murals of an even older castle. In Isona and Conca Dellà historic, architectural and paleontological heritage coexists: there are castles, churches, vestiges of the of Civil War and dinosaur remains that you can study in the open air or in the Museu de la Conca Dellà (Museum of la Conca Dellà).

In the Vall Fosca one must stop in the churches of Cabdella and Tower of Cabdella. Additionally, if you are interested in more recent history, a visit to the Hydroelectric Museum can't be passed by.

FROM SNOW TO SALT

The Pallars Sobirà is the land of the minairons, tireless labouring elves who have excavated the majority of the Pyrenean scree slopes. However, this county is also home to Romanesque jewels in València d’Àneu, Esterri and the Guingueta, with the vestiges of the canonry of Santa Maria of Àneu at the front.

If you enter into Baix Pallars, it is worthwhile to stop and study the singular two-level apse of Sant Serni de Baiasca and its mural paintings, of which few are conserved in situ in the Pyrenees. In Gerri de la Sal you will find the church of the ancient Visigoth monastery and the only preserved remnant of the ancient abbey.

ALT URGELL, CENTRE OF CHRISTIANITY

In the Seu d’Urgell is one of the largest cathedrals in Catalonia: Santa Maria d’Urgell is the only preserved fully Romanesque structure. The church of Sant Climent de Coll of Nargó is more modest; the horseshoe arch picture windows on the first section of the bell tower are a testament to Islamic influence.

Visiting the paintings of Estamariu and the monastery of Sant Sadurní de Tavèrnoles in Anserall are two of the best way to finish this route. However, we are too close to Andorra to not visit the small church of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters and the interesting pre-Romanesque temple of Santa Coloma.


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The privileged landscapes of the Boí Valley make the perfect counterpoint to ancient architecture, genuine and simplistically beautiful. The proposed route crosses one of the most celebrated groups of the European Romanesque style. Right next to the National Park of Aigüestortes and the Lake of Sant Maurici one will find the Lombard Romanesque style of the Boí Valley. And heading a bit farther north, one can uncover the later styles of the Aran Valley.

NINE CURCHES, WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Santa Maria of Taüll and, above all, Sant Climent, are the outstanding icons of the Romanesque style in the Boí Valley. However, there are nine churches in total that UNESCO declared as World Heritage Sites in the year 2000.

Beginning the route in the south, you will find good examples of mountain Romanesque styles, like the Assumption of the Coll and Santa Maria of Cardet, Sant Feliu of Barruera, the Nativity of Durro or the hermitage of Sant Quirc. All of them are reduced in size, collected and with discrete openings that allow in little light. They were spiritual sanctuaries erected in a valley that, during part of the Middle Ages, was an important population centre under the domain of the lords of Erill.

Continuing along the route brings you closer to the epicentre of Romanesque style in the Boí Valley. From the church of Santa Eulàlia de Erill la Vall you can admire the entrance way, though its valuable sculptural group -the Descent of Erill- is currently found split between Vic and Barcelona.

In the church of Sant Joan of Boi one can study the reproduction of the spectacular mural paintings that completely decorate the space, with the scene depicting the stoning of Sant Esteve as one of the most celebrated. Sant Climent of Taüll, for its part, undoubtedly marks the skyline of the Boí Valley, with its narrow six-floor bell tower. Inside is the lauded reproduction of the Pantocrator, a figure that continues to impress nine centuries after it was painted by the master of Taüll.

Additionally, in the centre of Taüll you find Sant Maria, where one can enter the bell tower and appreciate the remains of the painting that decorated the temple's exterior. Inside is the reproduction of Maiestas Mariae that decorates the apse.

SCULPTURAL MASTERPIECES OF THE ARAN VALLEY

A river that empties into the Atlantic, a  name of Basque origin and three official languages; the peculiarities of the Aran Valley, however, don't end here. In Viella there is one of the master pieces of Romanesque sculpture: the Christ of Mijaran found in the church of Sant Miquèu de Vielha. Right nearby is another great work: the Christ of Escunhau in the Musèu dera Val d’Aran (Museum of the Aran Valley).

We can't leave without seeing Sant Eulària d'Unha, the only one of the churches that contains remnants of original Romanesque mural paintings in the central apse. And if one still wants more... visit the unique Mair de Diu dera Purificacion de Bossòst, the church of Sant Andreu de Salardú or the church of Santa Maria de Cap d’Aran, in Tredòs.


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