Vall de Boí

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Vall de Boí municipality
coat of arms Map of Spain
Coat of arms is missing
Help on coat of arms
Vall de Boí (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Catalonia
Province : Lleida
Comarca : Alta Ribagorça
Coordinates 42 ° 30 '  N , 0 ° 48'  E Coordinates: 42 ° 30 '  N , 0 ° 48'  E
Height : 1111  msnm
Area : 219 km²
Residents : 1,021 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 4.66 inhabitants / km²
Municipality number  ( INE ): 25043
administration
Official language : Castilian , Catalan
Mayor : Joan Perelada i Ramon
Website : www.vallboi.cat
Fresco of the Majestas Domini from the church of Sant Climent de Taüll, a masterpiece of Romanesque art

La Vall de Boí ( Spanish Valle de Bohí ) is a municipality in a narrow, steep valley in the province of Lleida in the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain . The community, consisting of various hamlets , is located in the northeast corner of the Comarca Alta Ribagorça on the edge of the Pyrenees and is the largest in the area. The main town is Barruera , which gave the entire municipality its name until 1996. The river Noguera de Tor flows through the valley of the same name .

The valley is best known for its nine early Romanesque churches, which - apart from large old cities such as Rome or Cologne - make it the area with the greatest density of Romanesque churches in Europe. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on November 30, 2000 . The valley also includes the highest ski resort in the Pyrenees near Boí-Taüll and borders the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park in the northeast .

history

The Moorish conquest of Spain did not reach the high mountain valleys of the Pyrenees. The first Christian counties were founded in the 9th century and paid little attention to their Frankish feudal lords. Most of the population was Basque . The valley first belonged to the Tolosa , which was later united with the county of Ribagorza . In the 11th century, the valley fell into the hands of the County of Pallars before being annexed by Aragon in the 12th century . As a result of its strategic position, the valley has many castles, although mostly in poor condition.

Churches

Although the valley had a relatively low population density in the Middle Ages, large amounts of silver enabled local lords to support the Catalan campaign to regain Barbastro and Zaragoza . Much of the wealth was spent building churches between the 11th and 12th centuries, built in the new architectural style that originated in Lombardy . The churches are characterized by elaborate stone carvings and elegant church towers. Wall paintings from the churches are kept in Barcelona in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC).

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Catalan Romanesque churches in the Vall de Boí
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem
Taull001.jpg
Sant Climent de Taüll
National territory: SpainSpain Spain
Type: Culture
Criteria : (ii) (iv)
Surface: 7.98 ha
Reference No .: 988
UNESCO region : Europe and North America
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 2000  (session 24)

Many of the churches have been used for worship since their consecration in the 11th and 12th centuries. Nine of these churches have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, namely: Sant Climent and Santa Maria in Taüll, Sant Feliu in Barruera, Sant Joan in Boí, Santa Eulàlia in Erill la Vall, Santa Maria de l'Assumpció de Cóll, Santa Maria de Cardet , la Nativitat de la Mare de Déu in Durro, and the hermitage of Sant Quirc near Durros. The valley also contains a number of ruins of other Romanesque church buildings, including: Sant Llorenç in Saraís and Santa Martí in Taüll, and the hermitages of Sant Cristòfol in Erill, Sant Quirc in Taüll, Sant Salvador in Barruera and Sant Pere in Boí.

Sant Climent de Taüll

The church of Sant Climent de Taüll was consecrated on December 10, 1123 by Bishop Raimund von Roda . It is located on a slight slope on the road from Taüll to Boí . It is the largest and best preserved church in the Vall de Boí. It is also the most architecturally outstanding. The Romanesque church has three aisles . Each of the naves is separated by an arcade of columns and ends in a semicircular apse. It still has its original double pitched roof. To the south-east of the main building there is a six-story bell tower with arched windows on each floor. The building consists of granite blocks with decorative elements and pumice stone windows. The facade is provided with friezes and pillars. The image of Christ as Majestas Domini from the main apse of the church is now in the MNAC (Barcelona). It is considered one of the masterpieces of the Romanesque and is attributed to the so-called Master of Tahull .

Santa Maria de Taüll

The church of Santa Maria is in Taüll and was consecrated on December 11, 1123, one day after San Climent. It was also built with three naves ending in an apse. The bell tower rises from the southeastern nave. The quality of the stone carvings are inferior to that of the rest of the church. So the tower could have been built around it before and the church later. The church was completely renovated in the 18th century and a dome was added. Their frescoes were removed around 1918 and transferred to the MNAC. Many 18th century alterations were removed in the 1970s, including the dome.

Sant Feliu de Barruera

The church of Sant Feliu is located slightly north of Barruera. The village lies at a strategic point at which the valley widens and was connected in the Middle Ages to a nearby abbey that has now disappeared. The church has one nave (of originally three), a barrel vault and a semicircular apse. It has a rectangular transept with an apse and a square chapel facing south. A simple, undecorated tower stands at the southeast corner of the church. It was renovated in the 16th century, with two Gothic chapels being added to the main nave and an equally Gothic west facade.

Sant Joan de Boí

The church of Sant Joan is located at the entrance to Boí, which gives the valley its name. The original wooden roof was replaced by a stone one. The bell tower rises south of the south aisle. The church was renovated in the 18th century, but many of these changes were reversed in the 1960s. Her wall paintings were transferred to the MNAC in 1919.

Santa Eulàlia d'Erill-la-Vall

The church of Santa Eulàlia d'Erill-la-Vall has a single, long nave with a triple apse at the east end and an entrance opening onto a paved footpath at the north end. A wooden roof has replaced the original barrel vault. The north-facing, six-story bell tower reaches a height of 23 meters.

  • Santa Maria de Taüll

  • Sant Feliu de Barruera

  • Sant Joan in Boí

  • Santa Eulàlia d'Erill

Santa Maria de l'Assumpció de Cóll

The church of Santa Maria de l'Assumpció de Cóll is outside the village of Cóll . It has a simple nave with an apse and barrel vault and later Gothic additions. A side chapel in the north and a newer, Gothic, two-story bell tower in the south result in a cross-shaped floor plan. The interior is illuminated through openings at the east and west ends. The entrance is in the west. The tower is in poor condition.

Santa Maria de Cardet

The church of Santa Maria is located on a rocky outcrop at the entrance to the valley. The church is on a slope on the eastern corner of the village of Cardet . It has a single nave with an apse and a crypt underneath it (as the bottom slopes sharply at this point). A sacristy was added to the southeast of the nave, and a chapel to the north facade. The exterior contains elements from the 11th century and from renovations from the 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th centuries. The interior is in the baroque style of later renovations.

Nativitat de la Mare de Déu de Durro

The village of Durro is located at an altitude of 1386 meters on the south side of a mountain. The church has a single, narrow nave with a barrel vault and a slate roof. It was built with an apse that has now been replaced by a sacristy . Two square chapels were built into the north wall. The five-story bell tower stands on its northeast corner. The entrance is on the south wall, at the end of a paved footpath. The building has been renovated and expanded many times since its construction in the 12th century, so that little of its original structure has been preserved. The church was restored in 1983 and the tower in 1994.

L'ermita de Sant Quirc de Durro

The small hermitage of Sant Quirc is located on a rocky promontory near Durro. It has a small nave with an apse and an entrance to the south. A low belfry stands at its western end. The roof structure, accessible from the outside, was probably used as a granary.

  • Santa Maria de Cóll

  • Santa Maria de Cardet

  • Nativitat de la Mare de Déu

  • Sant Quirc de Durro

Castles

  • Castell de Boí
  • Castell de Durro
  • Castell de Barruera
  • Castell de Cardet
  • Castell de Grau de Castelló
  • Castell de Castelló de Tor
  • Castell de Suert
  • Castell d'Erill

Town twinning

literature

  • Barbara Borngässer: Catalonia - Art. Landscape. Architecture. Cologne 2000. ISBN 3-8290-2702-8 .
  • Jordi Tomàs Bonell: Descobrir Catalunya. Premsa Catalana, Barcelona 1994 (Catalan).

Web links

Commons : La Vall de Boí  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).