La Vall de Boí
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2021) |
La Vall de Boí | |
|---|---|
 Roca de la Feixamountain seen from Barruera | |
 Location in Alta Ribagorça county | |
  La Vall de Boí  La Vall de Boí | |
| Coordinates:42°31′19.91″N0°50′3.84″E/ 42.5221972°N 0.8344000°E | |
| Sovereign state |  Spain |
| Community |  Catalonia |
| Region | Alt Pirineu |
| County | Alta Ribagorça |
| Province | Lleida |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | Sònia Bruguera Diego (2019)[1](ERC-AM) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 219.5 km2(84.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,111 m (3,645 ft) |
| Population (2018)[3] | |
| • Total | 1,022 |
| • Density | 4.7/km2(12/sq mi) |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí |
| Includes | |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iv) |
| Reference | 988 |
| Inscription | 2000 (24thSession) |
| Area | 7.98 ha (19.7 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 3,562 ha (8,800 acres) |
La Vall de Boí(Western Catalan:[laˈbaʎðeβoˈi],formerly known asBarruera) is amunicipalityand narrow, steep-sidedvalleyinCatalonia.It lies in theAlta Ribagorçacounty in theAlt Pirineuregion, on the edges of thePyrenees.In 2022, it had a population of 1,090.[4]
The valley is best known for its nine Early Romanesque churches, making it the site of the densest concentration ofRomanesque architecturein Europe. It was designated as aWorld Heritage SitebyUNESCOon 30 November 2000. The valley also includes the highestski resortin the Pyrenees, atBoí-Taüll,and borders theAigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Parkwhich lies to the northeast.
Villages
[edit]
- Barruera,219
- Boí,221
- Les Cabanasses,6
- Caldes de Boí,5
- Cardet,12
- Cóll,37
- Durro,110
- Erill la Vall,98
- Pla de l'Ermita,133
- Saraís,8
- Taüll,273
- Other, 7
History
[edit]TheMoorish conquest of Spaindid not penetrate the high valleys of the Pyrenees. The first Christian counties in the region were set out in the 9th century, in which the local counts paid little heed to their nominalFrankishoverlords. The population was largelyBasque.
The valley first belonged to the county ofToulouse,to which was joined theCounty of Ribagorza.In the 11th century, the valley came into the hands of theCounty of Pallars,before being annexed by theKingdom of Aragónin the 12th century. As a result of its strategic position, the valley contains many castles, but they are mostly poorly preserved.
Main sights
[edit]Although the valley had a relatively low population in the Middle Ages, large quantities of silver enriched the local dignitaries to encourage them to join the Catalan campaign to recoverBarbastroandZaragoza.Much of the wealth was spent on the construction of many churches from the 11th to the 14th centuries, in the new architectural style imported fromLombardy.The churches are characterized by elaboratestoneworkand elegant bell towers. Wall paintings from the churches are conserved at theNational Museum of Art of CataloniainBarcelona.
Many of the churches have remained in use for religious worship since they were constructed and consecrated in the 11th and 12th centuries. Nine churches were included in the World Heritage Site:Sant ClimentandSanta MariainTaüll,Sant FeliuinBarruera,Sant JoaninBoí,Santa EulàliainErill la Vall,Santa Maria de l'Assumpció deCóll,Santa Maria deCardet,laNativitat de la Mare de DéuinDurro,and the hermitage ofSant Quircnear Durro.
The valley also contains the ruins of a number of otherRomanesquereligious buildings, including the churches ofSant LlorençinSaraísandSanta Martíin Taüll, and the hermitages ofSant Cristòfolin Erill, of Sant Quirc in Taüll, ofSant Salvadorin Barruera and ofSant Perein Boí.
Sant Climent, Taüll
[edit]
The church ofSant ClimentdeTaüllwas consecrated on 10 December 1123 by thebishop of Roda.It is situated on a slight rise beside the road from Taüll and to Boí. It is the largest and best-preserved church in the Vall de Boí, and also the most architecturally outstanding
The church is laid out as abasilica,with threenaves,each separated by anarcadeof columns and ending in asemicircularapse.It retains its originaldouble-pitchedtimber roof. To the southeast of the body of the church stands a six-storeybell tower,with arched windows on each floor. The building is constructed fromgraniteblocks, with decorative elements and windows inpumice.The facades are decorated with friezes and pilasters.
TheimageofChrist Pantocratorfrom the church, originally in the main apse and now conserved in theNational Art Museum of Catalonia(MNAC), is acknowledged as one of the masterpieces ofRomanesque art.
Santa Maria, Taüll
[edit]The church of Santa Maria is located in the village of Taüll, and was consecrated on 11 December 1123, the day after the church of Sant Climent. It was also built with three naves, each ending with an apse. The bell tower rises from the within the southern nave. The quality of the stonework of the bell tower is lower than the rest of the church, and it may have been built earlier, with the church added around it.
The church was heavily renovated in the 18th century, with a dome added. Its frescoes were moved to MNAC in around 1918. Many 18th-century renovations were removed in the 1970s, including the dome.
Sant Feliu, Barruera
[edit]The church of Sant Feliu is situated slightly to the north of Barruera. The village lies at a strategic point where the valley widens out and was connected with a nearby abbey in the Middle Ages which has now disappeared. The church has a single surviving nave of the three originally built, with a barrel vault and a semicircular apse. It has a square transept and apse to the south and square chapel to the north. A simple, undecorated bell tower lies at the southeast corner. Renovations were undertaken in the 16th century, adding twoGothicchapels to the main nave, and a Gothic western facade.
Sant Joan de Boí
[edit]
The church of Sant Joan is situated at the entrance to the village of Boí which gives its name to the valley. The church has three naves, with apses at the eastern ends of the two side names. The original timber roof has been replaced with stone. The bell tower rises to the south of the southern nave. The church was heavily renovated in the 18th century, but many of the renovations were removed in the 1960s. Itspaintingswere removed in 1919 and taken to MNAC.
Santa Eulàlia, Erill-la-Vall
[edit]The church of Santa Eulàlia inErill-la-Vallhas a single long nave with a triple apse at the eastern end and an entrance to the north opening onto a covered walkway. A timber roof has replaced the formerbarrel vault.The six-storey bell tower rises to the north to 23 metres. It has an importantDescent from the Cross,theErill la Vall Descent from the Cross
Santa Maria de l'Assumpci, Cóll
[edit]
The church of the Assumption lies outside the village of Cóll. It was built with a single nave with apse and barrel vault, and consecrated in 1110, and has later Gothic additions. A side-chapel to the north and a later Gothic bell-tower with two storeys to the south create a cruciform floor plan. The interior is lit byoculusesat east and west ends, with the door to the west. The bell tower is in poor repair.
Santa Maria, Cardet
[edit]Cardet occupied a rocky outcrop at the entrance to the valley. The church is at the eastern edge of the village, above a steep slope. The church has a single nave with apse, with a crypt below the apse (required due to the falling ground level). A sacristy was added to the southeast end of the nave, and a chapel was added to the north facade. The exterior retains features from the 11th century, and of renovations in the 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th centuries. The interior retains aBaroqueappearance from later renovations.
Nativitat de la Mare de Déu, Durro
[edit]The small town of Durro is situated at an elevation of 1,386 metres, on a south-facing mountainside. The church has a single long and narrow nave with a barrel vault andslateroof. It was built with a single apse, now replaced by asacristy.Two square chapels have been built into the northern wall, and the bell tower rises from the northeast corner to five storeys. The entrance is cut into the southern wall, to a covered walkway. The building has been renovated and extended many times since it was built in the 12th century and little of its original appearance remains. The interior retainsBaroquefeatures from later renovations.
The church was restored in 1983, and the bell tower in 1994.
Ermita de Sant Quirc, Durro
[edit]
The smallhermitageof Sant Quirc is situated on a rocky outcrop close to Durro. It has a small nave and apse, with an entrance to the south. A shortbelfryrises at the west end. The roof-space (accessed from the outside) may have been used as agranary.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Ajuntament de Vall de Boí".Generalitat of Catalonia.Retrieved2015-11-13.
- ^"El municipi en xifres: Vall de Boí".Statistical Institute of Catalonia.Retrieved2015-11-23.
- ^Municipal Register of Spain 2018.National Statistics Institute.
- ^"Idescat. The municipality in figures".www.idescat.cat.Retrieved2023-12-11.
- Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de BoífromUNESCO
- Tomàs Bonell, Jordi;Descobrir Catalunya,Premsa Catalana, Barcelona, 1994(in Catalan)
- Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture
External links
[edit]- Official page of the Vall de Boí(in Spanish)
- Map and links to information on the churches
- Government data pages(in Catalan)
Places adjacent to La Vall de Boí | |
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Municipalities ofAlta Ribagorça | ||
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| National | |
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