The church of Sant Feliu in Barruera contains architectural elements from the two great periods of construction in the Vall de Boí: the 11th and... more
" The heritage is the inheritance of the past that we enjoy today and that we will transmit to the future generations "
" The world heritage sites belong to all the people of the world "
On 30th November 2000 the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO approved the registration of the "Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boi" to the World Heritage List.
To joint the World Heritage List, propertis cultural or natural, must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of the following ten criteria:
(i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
(iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
(v) to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
(vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);
(viii) to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
(ix) to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí were included at the list of World Heritage Site were selected on the basis of two criteria:
Criterion (ii): The significant developments in Romanesque art and architecture in the churches of the Vall de Boí testify to profound cultural interchange across medieval Europe, and in particular across the mountain barrier of the Pyrenees.
Criterion (iv): The Churches of the Vall de Boí are an especially pure and consistent example of Romanesque art in a virtually untouched rural setting.
The church of Sant Feliu in Barruera contains architectural elements from the two great periods of construction in the Vall de Boí: the 11th and... more
Consecrated on the 10th of December 1123 by Ramon Guillem, bishop of Roda-Barbastro, the church of Sant Climent was built on an earlier church... more
The church of Santa Maria in Cardet has one of the most spectacular apses in the Vall de Boí. It was built on the steep mountainside, taking... more
The church of Santa Maria was consecrated on the 11th of December 1123, one day after Sant Climent, showing the extent of the funds provided by... more
This church is quite different from the other churches in the Vall de Boí in terms of its building materials, the size of the ashlars and the... more
The church of Sant Joan in Boí has the largest number of architectural elements from the early building work that took place in the Vall de Boí in... more
The Sant Quirc Hermitage is in a privileged location on the Durro mountain at a height of 1,500 metres. Its setting is not by chance, however, but... more
Santa Eulàlia has one of the best bell-towers in the Vall de Boí. It is slender, square in plan and six storeys high and is decorated in the... more
The size of this church is testimony to the importance of the village of Durro in the Middle Ages. Particularly of note are the large dimensions ... more