CATALONIA MEDIEVAL VILLAGES: BESALU

Besalú is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval villages in Catalonia. Located between Girona and Olot (and not far from La Costa Brava) it was an important medieval crossroads of routes linking Olot, Figueres, Empúries and Girona.

These roads cross actually in the current Plaça de la Llibertat, the main square of the village. In addition to walk along its streets, these are the main places of Besalú I visited.

• The Medieval Bridge, the symbol of Besalú
• Call Jueu in Besalú - Miqvé and Synagogue
• Monastery of Sant Pere
• Hospital of Sant Julià
• Cúria Reial
• Plaça de la Llibertat
• Medieval church of Sant Vicenç
• Portal de la Força

By the way, El Call Jueu of Besalú is one of the best preserved in Catalunya, together with El Call Jueu de Girona and El Call Jueu of Barcelona.

Next you can see some pictures of Besalú I took during the day I spent in this lovely medieval village.

The Medieval Bridge

From the medieval bridge you can enjoy a nice overview of Besalú

 A memory of the medieval village of Besalú

Medieval bridge in Besalú

 

A nice place to enjoy the view of the medieval bridge, the symbol of Besalú

Pont Vell street leads you from the medieval bridge to La Plaça de la Llibertat

 A beautiful courtyard in Besalú which I saw before arriving at Plaça de la Llibertat

Call Jueu (Jewish Quarter)

In Besalú you can also see the typical narrow street of the medieval jewish quarters

On the left you can see the entrance to the synagogue of Besalú and the medieval brigde in the background. The jewish quarter of Besalu is one of the best preserved in Catalunya

This entrance through the city wall was the only one of the jewish quarter in Besalú. So jews couldn't enter the village

 

The incredibly well-preserved miqvé in Besalú

The Miqvé was located beside the Synagogue

Monastery of Sant Pere

Overview of the church of Sant Pere monastery in Besalú, the only preserved element of this monastery

 

Detail of a capital inside the church of Sant Pere in Besalú

Hospital of Sant Julià

 

 Beside the church of Sant Pere we saw the hospital of Sant Julià, another well-preserved medieval building in Besalú

Cúria Reial

 Main facade of La Curia Reial in Besalú

Plaça de la Llibertat

Arches in La Plaça de la Llibertat

Medieval church of Sant Vicenç

Main facade of the medieval church of San Vicenç in Besalú

A typical narrow street in Besalú

Portal de la Força

 Portal de la Força in Besalú

 

Leaving Besalú via the medieval bridge

In addition to Besalú there are more nice medieval villages in Catalunya. Some of them are:

• Rupit
• Beget
• Santa Pau
• Pals and Peratallada
• Siurana
• Montblanc

If you like medieval architecture, you should visit the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, the old city of Girona with its jewish quarter and the monasteries of Montserrat and Poblet. The Pyrennes offers also charming romanesque villages in la Vall de Boí.

Besides in La Costa Brava, near Besalú, you can visit many lovely villages and interesting places, like:

• Calonge
• Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery
• Empúries
• Dalí Theatre-Museum
• Catedral de l'Empordà in Castelló d'Empúries

Finally, clicking on the next link you will find links to other beautiful places in Catalonia, among them, more interesting medieval villages.