Vallfogona de Ripollès

El municipi de Vallfogona de Ripollès

• Origins

  The first mentions of the Vallfogona date back to 896, when the nearby monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses owned property and land there. The village was created in accordance with the wishes of the lords of Milany, who wanted a community of people around La Sala Castle.

• Did you know that…?

  The conjuratory or reliquary of Vallfogona was used in ancient times to ward off storms and bad spirits! It is located at the end of the flat area upon which the old church of Sant Julià stood. It collapsed in the early 1980s and was rebuilt, in 1985, with much of its original stonework.

• 

  The medieval old town

  The medieval complex in the oldest part of the village started to be built under the shelter of the castle in the 13th century. It used to be walled and the interior could only be accessed via three gates: La Muralla, Ponent and Migjorn.

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  The square

  The oldest part of the village consisted of the square and the old streets where the chapel and the inn stood. The streets of the medieval old town were paved, and the houses, which were built in a circle around the square,  still retain their original thresholds and balconies.

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  The medieval bridge

  It was built in the 14th century by the lords of Milany, who had moved from their castle to Vallfogona Castle, to span the Vallfogona creek and link the village to Milany Castle and to Vidrà.

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  Sant Julià

  The old parish church of Sant Julià is located 200 metres from the village and dates back to the 10th century. It is now an amalgamation of a large Baroque rear and a smaller Romanesque front. Since the partial collapse of the Baroque part in the 1960s, the church of La Salut has taken on the role of parish church.

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  La Tosca

  La Tosca del Pinetar rock formation is dozens of metres thick. It was formed slowly by the continuous depositing of calcium carbonate dissolved in the water of La Tosca spring, creating an incredible waterfall, where the rock traps the stems and leaves of plants and takes on their forms.

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  La Masica

  The Masica stream is in the Serres de Milany-Santa Magdalena and Puigsacalm-Bellmunt area of natural interest. It features impressive waterfalls amid the flora and fauna typical of Pre-Pyrenean streams.

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  Pinetar de l'obra

  This is the archaeological site of an ancient kiln used for the production of tiles and bricks, located some 200 metres from La Tosca. Local residents collaborated on this heritage recovery project with a number of scientific institutions.