Vall de Boi Churches

The Vall de Boi holds nine churches and a hermitage built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, an extraordinary concentration for a small Pyrenean valley, and their shared character, tall square bell towers of several storeys with paired windows, blind arcading and stonework showing Lombard influence, led UNESCO to inscribe them together in 2000. The two best known are Sant Climent de Taull, whose apse held the Pantocrator fresco now in Barcelona, with a reproduction projected in place, and Santa Maria de Taull. The paintings were removed in the 1920s to prevent them being sold abroad, which remains a sore point locally. The valley also gives access to the Aiguestortes national park and a thermal spa at Caldes de Boi.

What you actually see

• The Lombard bell towers - tall square towers with paired windows.
• Sant Climent de Taull - the apse with the Pantocrator projected in place.
• Santa Maria de Taull - a second church in the same village.
• The valley setting - Pyrenean slopes with the national park above.

When to go

June to September, when all the churches are open and the mountain roads clear; winter brings snow and skiing at Boi Taull, with reduced church hours. The combined ticket covers several churches.

Honest expectations

The original frescoes are in Barcelona, and what visitors see in the apses are projections and copies. Churches keep set hours and some open only on request. The valley is remote, several hours from Barcelona.

Nearby

Aiguestortes national park is at the head of the valley; Caldes de Boi has thermal baths.