Durro

the small village of Durro It is a hidden treasure between the mountainous walls of the Lleida Pyrenees. It belongs to the municipality of Bohí Valleyfamous for its impressive Romanesque heritage, and is included in the region of the Upper Ribagorza.

Its narrow cobbled streets of medieval layout are framed by traditional houses that coincide in their exposed stone facades and their typical slate roofs of the area. If you add to this some important monuments, all this makes Durro one of the most beautiful villages in the Pyrenees in Catalonia. So that you get to know it better, we are going to show you what you should see and what you can do in this Lleida town.

The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God

As we told you, everything in Durro contributes to giving it that typical air that some towns have managed to preserve. The lampposts on its streets and even the wooden benches where you can sit from time to time help to give beauty to the architectural ensemble of the Catalan town.

But, of course, we must tell you about its main monuments. The most important is the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, built in the XNUMXth century and declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. Also, as a member of the set of Romanesque churches in the Bohí Valley, which we will talk about later, it is cataloged Heritage.

Respond to Lombard Romanesque style, which developed from the XNUMXth century on in this Italian region to later spread over a good part of southern Europe. Externally, the temple stands out for its medieval porch, which gives access to the entrance, made up of a semicircular arch with two archivolts. In the key of this you can see a chrismon, which, as you know, is one of the anagrams of Christ (XP).

But, above all, it is impressive bell tower, five stories. They sit on a plinth without decoration and are separated by imposts. Its plant is rectangular and the openings of its windows must have been doubled. In addition, curiously, it responds to the proportion of the Arab minarets.

As for the interior, the temple of the Nativity of the Mother of God consists of a single nave with four sections with a barrel vault supported by transverse arches. As early as the XNUMXth century, they added two side chapels in the Gothic style. Precisely in them you can see two baroque altarpieces: one is dedicated to the Rosary and the other to the Holy Christ. On the other hand, the main altarpiece is from the XNUMXth century and is dedicated to the Mother of God, Saint Joseph and Saint Joaquin.

The hermitage of San Quirce

The religious heritage of Durro is completed by this hermitage, also declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. You will find it on the outskirts of the town, near the previous one, but you must follow a forest track to reach it. In fact, it is almost XNUMX meters high, that is, about XNUMX meters higher than the town.

It also responds to Romanesque canons and it is built in exposed ashlar stone. The church is made up of a single nave covered with a barrel vault and ending in an apse with a drum vault in the center of which there is a small window. Regarding the entrance, it consists of a semicircular arch with voussoirs and, externally, its slender belfry with two bells also stands out.

On its altar there was a decoration of painting on a panel consecrated to the martyrdoms of Santa Julita and her son San Quirce. However, for its better conservation it was transferred to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.

Other Romanesque churches in the Bohí Valley

Precisely, we must momentarily leave the town of Durro to talk to you about the rest of the temples that you can see in the bohí valley and that make up an incomparable Romanesque complex. Not in vain, as we have already told you, it has been declared Heritage.

Specifically, there are eight churches and a hermitage that are distributed throughout the towns in the area. We cannot dwell on all of them, but we will tell you about the most valued ones. Thus, in Tahull you have the magnificent temple of san clemente, which was built in 1123 and is considered "the Romanesque cathedral of the valley". A prominent element of this architectural marvel is its free-standing six-story bell tower. But you can also see the church of Santa Maria, which was built at the same time as the previous one and which stands out for its circular apses and, likewise, its great tower.

On the other hand, in Barruera you have that of San Felix, probably also from the XNUMXth century, although later reformed. Outwardly, the entrance porch stands out and the interior is arranged in a single nave with three sections. As in other temples in this area, it featured Romanesque fresco pictorial decoration. But it was moved to other places for better conservation.

In Bohí, capital of the municipality, you can visit the church of san juan, larger than the previous ones and the oldest in the group, since it already appears documented in 1079. It has three naves and a basilica plan. Its tower was also impressive, but a fire reduced it to three floors. However, it is still very pretty. As for the town of Coll, you have the church of Santa María de la Asunción, which belonged to a Benedictine monastery built in the XNUMXth century.

Finally, in Erill la Vall you can see the temple of Santa Eulalia, with its five-story bell tower, and the ruins of the Hermitage of San Cristòfol, and in Cardet, the church of Santa Maria, which has a singular belfry with three holes. But now we must return to Durro to show you other things that you can see and do in it.

The typical houses of Durro

As we told you before, all the hamlets of this Lleida town respond to the traditional style of the area. They are dark stone constructions with a rustic appearance that convey a feeling of strength and are covered by equally dark roofs, but in this case made of slate.

All of them are very pretty and contribute to giving the town a uniform and traditional appearance. However, some stand out above the rest. For example, Llavasa house, currently converted into a hostel, or the Town hall, but also of the Garbot and Xoquin houses, declared assets of cultural interest.

Hiking trails starting from Durro

The Lombard Romanesque and traditional architecture are not the only wonders that this Lleida town offers you. As we told you, it is almost XNUMX meters high, so you can take beautiful hiking trails along the Corruco mountain range, at whose feet it is located.

But above all, you can do them for him. Aigüestortes and San Mauricio Lake National Park, which is near Durro. In fact, the Pyrenean path GR-11 crosses it from side to side. However, you also have other interesting routes. For example, the one that comes out of one's own lake of saint mauritius and go up to the vantage point that is above it; the one that goes from the Peülla car park to the gerber lake or the part of gento lake and goes to the one from Saburo.

However, if you consider yourself prepared, you can take more daring routes. Prominent among these is the so-called Fire cars, which travels through the shelters in the area and can take several days. Finally, other crossings are those of Arties to Espot and from this last town to Bohí.

Other activities in the surroundings of Durro

Hiking is not the only sporting activity that you can do in the vicinity of the town of Lleida. In the Aigüestortes National Park you can also practice climbing and ski touring. Precisely, regarding this last sport, you have the Bohí-Tahull station, with good snow and not very crowded.

It has the highest levels in the entire Pyrenees, with a maximum of 2751 metres, and 42 slopes which, together with another for sleighs and four ski mountaineering itineraries, make up a total of 45 skiable kilometres. It even has a snowpark suitable for all audiences.

On the other hand, if you prefer something quieter, you can enjoy the Caldes de Bohí spa, which offers you thermal waters and different mud and steam treatments in natural caves. And all this in the wonderful setting of this Pyrenean valley.

The Durro Fallas, Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Among the celebrations that take place in this small Lleida town, the so-called fallas stand out, which have little to do with those of Valencia. In this case, the inhabitants of the locality go up to the hermitage of San Quirce, where they light pine wood torches to return with them to the town. He directs them the call fadrí major and, once they arrive, they throw them to the ground to create a great bonfire.

Finally, the tradition ends with a meal and a dance. The first usually includes the delicious local meats with potatoes, but also mushrooms of the surroundings are very famous. As for the ceremony, it has very ancient origins and its purpose was to give thanks for the harvests. In any case, it is a colorful spectacle that has been declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

In conclusion, we have shown you what to see and what to do in Durro, the beautiful Pyrenean town of Lleida. We can only advise you that, since you are in that mountainous area, take the opportunity to meet other beautiful places in the Catalan Pyrenees. Dare to enjoy all this.