tahull It is a small town that belongs to the municipality of Bohí Valley, famous for the beauty of its landscapes. Not in vain, it is in the Pyrenees at a height of some thousand five hundred meters above sea level and, likewise, it is included in the Lleida region of La Upper Ribagorza.
As if this were not enough, part of the municipal term is occupied by the imposing Aigüestortes National Park. It is an impressive environment in which lakes abound (or ponds, as they are called in Catalan), the stone colossi and mighty rivers. We are going to talk about all this and much more in this article about tahull. We will start with what to see in the villa and then show you its surroundings.
The urban area of Tahull
A typical construction of Tahull
This beautiful villa in the province of Lleida bears the seal of Charming Town, awarded by the Catalan Tourism Agency. Therefore, it is one of the most beautiful of Catalonia and just by seeing its town center, with its narrow cobbled streets, you will understand why.
The houses respond to the traditional architecture of the area. They are built in exposed stone and their roofs are slate and gabled. Likewise, they have continuous wooden balconies on their floors that are often decorated with flowers. They are not very large, usually one or two heights, and their access doors are also made of wood with a straight lintel and are accompanied by windows.
But, if the Tahull farmhouse is beautiful, its two great monuments will impress you even more. It is about the churches of Santa Maria and San Clemente, two Romanesque jewels in Catalonia.
The church of Santa Maria
The Romanesque church of Santa María
The two temples of Tahull belong to the set of Romanesque churches in the Bohí Valley, which has been declared Heritage. Later we will talk about others, but now we are going to show you the ones in this town. The church of Santa María is mentioned for the first time in a document from the year 1123, which will give you an idea of its antiquity.
Externally, it responds to the characteristics of the Romanesque with Lombard decoration in the apses. As you know, this last adjective refers to the style that the Lombards implanted at that time in the north of Italy. But its most notable external element is the great bell tower, which, curiously, is a bit crooked and is four heights higher than the temple.
However, if it attracts your attention on the outside, it will do so even more on the inside. It has a basilica plan with three naves and as many apses and, above all, its walls are decorated with mural paintings. However, these are reproductions. The originals, attributed to two authors from the XNUMXth century, were rescued from the temple and taken to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, where they remain more protected. In fact, at that time, they ran the risk of being taken to United States for sale, as happened with other Romanesque monuments in the area.
The church of San Clemente de Tahull
The beautiful church of San Clemente de Tahull
It is the other great monument of Tahull and it is very similar to the previous one. Not in vain, it responds to the same Romanesque style with Lombard influences. And, above all, it has an even taller and more slender bell tower, although in this case it is exempt from the temple. It has six floors that rise on a solid plinth and its plan is square. Each of its faces is decorated with blind arches and two or three windows separated by small columns.
Regarding the plan of the building, it is basilical with three naves separated by decorated columns, an apse and two apses. The walls lack windows, so the only lighting comes through the doors. As in the case of Santa María, the entire interior was decorated with paintings that you can currently see in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.
Likewise, that of the central apse, attributed to the man known as tahull master, has been reproduced. It's about a pantocrator (majestic representation of God) located within a mandorla or oval frame and seated in a band decorated with plant motifs. He is in an attitude of blessing and four angels surround him. Finally, under his image are others of the Virgin Mary carrying the Holy Grail and five apostles.
Other towns and temples of the Bohí Valley
A view of the town of Coll
As we have told you before, the two beautiful churches of Tahull belong to the group of Romanesque temples of the Bohí Valley. Therefore, we must talk to you about the main ones among these, since they form a set with the first ones. And, by the way, we will do it from the towns where they are.
In the small village of Coll, located almost thousand two hundred meters of altitude, you have the church of Santa María de la Asunción, built in ashlar at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. It is smaller than those of Tahull, as it only has a nave and two side chapels. Also, his tower is much lower. For her part, the Church of Santa Maria de Cardet It is found in this town of about thirteen inhabitants. It has a larger apse than the previous ones, but its set is also more humble. The tower finished in a belfry with three holes for the bells stands out in it.
En Inside you have the San Felix church, which has a single nave covered with a barrel vault and two semicircular apses, one of them decorated with Lombard decoration. It also has a bell tower that is also smaller than that of the Tahull temples. Another notable element is its portico, which is sheltered under an open porch by means of semicircular arches.
Greater monumental wealth offers you Durro, since it has two churches. the one of the Nativity of the Mother of God is located in the center of town, while the hermitage of San Quirce it's on the outskirts. The first also has a side porch with large semicircular arches. But, above all, it has a slender bell tower reminiscent of the ones we mentioned in Tahull. Later, two Gothic chapels were added and, already in the XNUMXth century, the main altarpiece.
Finally, in Erill the Valley you have the church of Santa Eulalia, which is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful. It also has a porch and a six-story bell tower. Inside, it is distributed in a single long nave, covered with a barrel vault and culminating in an apse. Likewise, an exhibition of pieces that appeared around the temple has been installed in its choir. In this, too, there was a descent from the XNUMXth century that took the aforementioned National Museum of Art of Catalonia to be better preserved. Now you can see a reproduction in the church. Next to the temple, you have the Bohí Valley Romanesque Center, where you will find all the information about this incomparable artistic heritage of the Lleida Pyrenees.
The natural environment of Tahull
The Enchanted, in the Aigüestortes Park
As we had promised, we are also going to talk to you about the wonderful natural environment of this Catalan town that combines everything that mountain fans like. You even have in the surroundings the Bohí Tahull ski resort. If you like this sport, you should know that it has more than fifty slopes of varying difficulty and all services. It has parking for more than fifteen hundred vehicles, restaurants, cafeterias, medical attention and even a shop for renting equipment.
But the station does not only work in winter. Also in summer it organizes different activities for the Pyrenees from the area. For example, routes by mountain bike or on foot, gymkhanas and guided visits to the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. We are going to talk to you about this, precisely, to finish.
The Aigüestortes National Park
Mountain refuge in Aigüestortes
As we have already told you, a good part of the municipal area of Bohí Valley, where Tahull is located, is located inside the Aigüestortes park, a natural wonder that offers you majestic and unforgettable landscapes. With more than forty thousand hectares, it alternates great mountains, mighty rivers, calm lakes, waterfalls and Quaternary glaciers.
As if that were not enough, it has an impressive flora of oak and beech groves, as well as a rich fauna of brown bears, chamois, capercaillie, otters, vultures and golden eagles. You can explore this marvel doing its numerous hiking trails and sleeping in their many mountain huts. We are going to show you some of the most interesting ones.
The long-distance path of the Pyrenees GR-11 through the park. But, if you don't consider yourself a great hiker, you can enter it through the Planell de Aigüestortes and walk to the llong lake. There are barely four kilometers with a drop of 178 meters. Taking the exit at the same point, you can also make the call Route of the Otters, which reaches the Palanca de la Molina. They are about six kilometers, although the unevenness is greater. Instead, you may be an accomplished hiker. In such a case, you have routes like the crossings from Artiés to Espot and from the latter to Bohí, which offer you unparalleled panoramic views. And, for the most daring, there is the path Fire cars, a mountain route of fifty-five kilometers and a cumulative drop of almost ten thousand meters.
In conclusion, we have shown you everything you can see and do in tahull and its wonderful surroundings. It only remains for us to advise you that, equally, you enjoy your kitchen. Broadly speaking, it coincides with Catalan gastronomy and, therefore, it is delicious. Dare to know this area of the Catalan pyrenees as beautiful as full of history.