Tot Garrotxa guida (english)

Historyc route
Castles and monasteries were at the centre of life in
the Middle Ages. Although some of their splendour
has waned, today La Gar-rotxa still maintains vestiges
of that past in towns and villages such as Sant Joan
les Fonts, Santa Pau and Besalú.
We begin this medieval route in Sant Joan les Fonts
and one of the first places we recommend you visit is
the church of the old Benedictine monastery. To
reserve a visit, please call: 972 29 05 07. Declared a
National Monument, this monastery boasts three naves
and porch covered by a late atrium. Also of note are the
Romanesque baptismal font decorated with bas relief
and a carved Christ figure, the original of which is kept
in the Diocesan Museum in Girona.
Dating from the same era is the medieval bridge that
joins the old part of Sant Joan and the parish church to
the Castanyer quarter. Built from volcanic rock, the
bridge over the river Fluvià consists of a single large arch
with two smaller lateral arches. Nearby we find the
oldest Romanesque civil building in Catalonia, the
castle of Juvinyà, a fortified manor house that was
declared a Monument of National Interest in 1972. In
recent years the building has been completely restored
and now that has been converted into the Sant Joan les
Fonts Territorial Interpretation Centre.
he whole of the village of Santa Pau merits special
attention. The historical centre is presided over by El
Castell de la Baronia (the Baron’s castle), which is
mentioned in documents from the 13th century
onwards. Square in shape, this building today consists
of a central courtyard and adjoining quarters that is
the result of additions made between the 13th and
15th centuries. To the south we find the triangular
shaped Plaça Major, once known as the Firal dels
Bous (the ‘oxen fairground’) since it was used as a
marketplace and fairground. This medieval square,
which has remained practically unchanged since the
first decades of the 14th century, is one of the best
conserved such squares in Catalonia.
Besalú, the third stop on this medieval route, is one
of the best preserved medieval towns in Catalonia
and boasts religious and civil buildings (for example,
the monastery of Sant Pere) of great interest. Founded
in 977 and consecrated in 1003, the façade of
Sant Pere is renowned for a highly original window
adorned with the figures of two lions, symbols of the
power and the protection provided by the church,
which stand, respectively, on a monkey and a naked
man, representations of evil and paganism.
Medieval
route