Conca Dellà holds documents and remains of many elements of the historical and artistic heritage left by mankind in this area. It is worth mentioning the Middle Ages evidences in the current villages such as hermitages, churches and castles. There are also some of these buildings in areas that are deserted today, either because the population has moved to lower heights or because they have been definitely abandoned.
Time always leaves its trace, so that it is impossible to forget that, unfortunately, Conca Dellà was strongly damaged during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. There is evidence of this fact in various sites: trenches, machine gun hiding places, bunkers or the construction of parts of these villages belonging to the valley.
Some historical and artistic interest spots should be mentioned:
Llordà Castle
Located at the top of a hill to the north of the Llordà village. This fortress dates from the 11th century. It is one of the most important examples of non strictly religious but residential architecture from the High Middle Ages which have been preserved in Catalonia. This building was constructed by Arnau Mir de Tost, one of the most significant characters related with the feudal expansion.
It has two different areas: the lower includes the church and the canonical building, as well the remains of what seems to have been the old village; the upper area consists of the real castle, including the palace -with the noble building at the top and the servants or troops rooms at a lower level.
At the moment, this architectural set is under a restoration and architectural consolidation process. In addition, it is hoped that current archaeological excavations will bring new data.
Orcau Castle
Located at the top of the hill behind the Orcau village and built between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th. The castle set is divided into two environments joint by a peripheral wall -the castle and the church. One may also observe the remains of a walled deserted spot.
The castle has an almost square ground plan. Circular towers were built on each of its four angles. The Piety church is a building with a nave -but no aisles-, which south façade and vault collapsed in 1962. The National Art Museum of Catalonia, in Barcelona, preserves some of the mural paintings that were once held by its apse.
Saint Mary's Church, Covet
Located inside the village of Covet, it is dated at the first half of the 12th century. Its main façade has a sculptured monumental portal that is considered to be one of the most exceptional Romanesque sculpture sets in Catalonia.
Inside the church, it is worth mentioning the existence of a raised gallery over the façade wall, as well as the decoration of the impost inside the central apse and the sculptures decorating the transverse rips' capitals.
Saint Andrew's Church, Biscarri
Situated in the upper part of the old Biscarri village, it is dated between the 11th and 12th centuries. It is a building with a nave -but no aisles- covered with a barrel vault and a semicircular ground plan central apse decorated on the external side with Lombard blind arcades placed in twos between the pilaster strips.
Saint Michael's Church, Conques
Situated inside the village of Conques, at the foot of what had been its castle -of which just some remains have been preserved. It has two parts belonging to different periods. The first one -which is older and built in a Gothic style at the end of the 12th century-, corresponds to the central nave, which still holds mural painting remains representing a clergymanís funerary portrait.
The second part -more modern, belonging to the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th- includes two chapels: The Rosary's and Holy Christ's chapels. The latter is quite remarkable for its complex pictorial iconography.
Saint Peter Martyr's Hermitage, Sant Romà d'Abella
Situated at the south entrance of the village. It is dated at the end of the 11th century, although it was reformed during the 12th century with the construction of the vaults and the current far end. Inside the hermitage, one of the Roman epigraphic memorial tablets documented in Conca Dellà still remains.
Saint Stephen's Church, Abella de la Conca
Located in the highest part of the Abella de la Conca village, dating from the 11th century. It has a nave and two aisles, all of them finished with an apse, and it is decorated on the external side with Lombard blind arcades. It is worth mentioning a bell tower that was built later, open with geminate windows and equally decorated with Lombard blind arcades.
Inside the church, there are still remains of mural paintings, probably from the 12th-13th centuries. The Diocesan Museum of La Seu d'Urgell preserves a Gothic altarpiece original from this church representing scenes of the life of the Virgin Mary.
Figuerola d'Orcau Village
Figuerola -situated on a hill- is the village within Conca Dellà that preserves best its enclosed medieval village structure. The oldest part is situated around the church, while a posterior extension is enlarged beyond the main square, where some noble buildings from the 16th century still remain.
The village has two religious buildings: in the first place, Saint Mary's church, situated inside the village and dating from the 12th century, which has an extremely high bell gable with six holes. In the second place, the church of Prat, situated in the outskirts and dating from the 18th century, which shows a rich pictorial decoration of the time inside.
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Llordà Castle |
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Orcau Castle |
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Saint Mary's Church, Covet |
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Saint Andrew's Church, Biscarri |
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Conques |
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Saint Peter Martyr's Hermitage, Sant Romà d'Abella |
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Saint Stephen's Church, Abella de la Conca |
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Figuerola d'Orcau Village |
Conca
Dellà
